Oxford MBA Mania #bethenextoxonian

Voices of 'Oxford MBA 2017' candidates and what the MBA means to them.

In conversation with Norman Yanuar, a management consultant and PMP certified project manager with 10 years of experience, specialising in operational turnaround and strategy implementation

Q. One experience you would definitely share with a prospective Oxford MBA candidate?

The highlight of my Oxford MBA experience would be participating in competitions in Boston and London held by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and McKinsey & Company respectively. It started off as a project which was part of the Entrepreneurship module. The module required us to come up with an idea and develop it into a business case to be pitched to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style judging panel. Then, we took this idea further by participating in these two competitions in which we managed to reach the finals. In fact, each competition had more than 100 submissions, and we were the first and only non-US team entering the finals in the MIT competition.

Although we did not manage to win the competitions, we had invaluable experience of pitching the idea in front of the industry experts as well as experienced investors, and getting to know the other teams from the other top MBA schools. Additionally, we were also impressed by the tremendous supports received not only from the Saïd Business School but also from the other students and Oxford Colleges when preparing for the competitions.

Oxford MBA rocks!

Check out this video to get a glimpse of the Oxford MBA :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0

Voices of 'Oxford MBA 2017' candidates and what the MBA means to them.

In conversation with Jayanth Kashyap, an impact investing and social finance expert from India, having invested and worked with high-impact businesses in South Asia, South-East Asia and Africa.

Q. One professor you would mention in your media interview in 5 years and why?

This is a tough one! If I were to mention one professor in 5 years, it would probably be Prof. Rachel Botsman. Her 'Collaborative Economy' class this Trinity term was one of the highlights of the Oxford MBA experience, where the class takes a deep dive into the subject based on her own experiences as a thought leader and evangelist of the sharing economy. I first saw her TED talks back in 2014, when I had fairly minimal awareness but was nevertheless piqued by the concept of improving trust and collaboration through sharing of idle assets and moving away from the abyss of consumerism. Each week, we had sharing economy participants and business leaders from AirBnB, TaskRabbit, Uber et al visiting the class to share their experiences. As someone working in the impact investing sector, several of the collaborative economy principles greatly resonate with me - sustainability as a key outcome, building social capital through community models and so on. I am excited about the potential of the sharing economy in the future of work in emerging markets and hope to have invested in high-impact social ventures.

Check out this video to get a glimpse of the Oxford MBA :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0

Voices of 'Oxford MBA 2017' candidates and what the MBA means to them.

In conversation with Stephanie Mambo, an engineer, chartered accountant and Recipient of the Dean's Africa Scholarship. She has diverse experience across Investment Banking in London and social enterprises in Kenya.

What was the most surprising thing about the Oxford MBA for you?

The exposure to a highly diverse and zealous class that stimulated me to self-reflect, to re-invent and to appreciate that with dedication, drive and hard-work I could be who I want to be and where I want to be. A class that pushed yet supported me into areas beyond my comfort zones from leading international treks to public speaking in front of hundreds in the Nelson Mandela Lecture theatre – areas that despite my nerves I found myself excited and up for the challenges.

Check out this video to get a glimpse of the Oxford MBA :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0

Voices of current students and what the MBA means to them.

In conversation with Dennis Ngo-Ming Lee, technology consultant from Hong Kong with more than 9 years of experience in IBM

Q. What's been the most surprising thing about the Oxford MBA?

Although I am studying in a prestigious university in England, my daily experience is not very "British"! In class, I heard South Africans, Americans, and Russians debating about global politics. During lunch, I had chow mein with my Indonesian and Singaporean classmates. When working on group project, I had my South Korean and Chinese teammates working with me. During a presentation, a German and an Irish worked with me on the slides. After everything is done and it is time to party, I had drinks with my Indians classmates. Well, the most British moment is when British politicians and celebrities visited Oxford Union for a debate!

Watch the Oxford experience -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0

Voices of current students and what the MBA means to them.

In conversation with Ahmed Abu Bakr, social entrepreneur from Bangladesh.

Q. What's been the most surprising thing about the Oxford MBA?

Ahmed: This year has been a time of tremendous growth for me. Professionally and intellectually yes, but far more importantly, personally. The Oxford MBA took me well beyond the realms of accounting and finance, marketing and strategy- and that is what makes it truly remarkable. Between studying leadership through architecture and the arts, applying systems thinking to business and supply chains, rethinking the purpose of corporations and business, Oxford left me with no choice but to expand my consciousness. It prompted me with difficult questions about ethics, morality, power and influence, and provided me with the time and space to reflect on my answers.

From listening to Bono talk about how business is amoral and must be told what to do, to hearing the story of Jim Yong Kim from Partners in Health to president of the World Bank, my time at Oxford has undoubtedly changed me. It has inspired me. It has humbled me. It has made me aware of my privileges and my power, and shed some more light on the person I want to be and the path I must follow to get there.

Watch the Oxford MBA Experience :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0&feature=youtu.be

What the Oxford MBA means to current students:

In conversation with Miguel Sorbet L , marketing professional from Germany.

Q. What's one Oxford(y) thing you will miss once this is over? And what was the most surprising thing about the Oxford MBA for you?

Miguel: The incredible openess and helpfulness of everyone here.
You could just sit down with anyone of these super smart and successful people and talk to them and ask for help etc. They'd sit together with you for over an hour and by the time you go home, you'll have received their most honest and helpful feedback... And often have several mails in your mailbox in which they'd have connected you to some people of interest.
This is absolutely incredible and I will do my very best to take this incredible spirit of openess and helpfulness to wherever I go
:)

Watch the Oxford MBA Experience :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0&feature=youtu.be

What the Oxford MBA means to current students:

In conversation with Chris G Mathew, a doctor from South Africa.

Q. What's one Oxford(y) thing you will miss once this is over?

Chris : The Oxford formal dinners - the sound of the gavel and how everybody instinctively stands up without question, followed by a night spent with friends.

Q. What was the most surprising thing about the Oxford MBA for you?

Definitely meeting the incredible people in our class. I expected to meet these finance, corporate-type scary people, but apart from being these incredible super stars, they're actually the friendliest, most loving group of people I've ever known.

Watch the Oxford MBA Experience :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0&feature=youtu.be

Fun got no barriers ! How about dressing swankily to class just to make it another memorable day....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0&feature=youtu.be

* Bernie Sanders at the Oxford Union *

Said Business School encourages its MBA students to explore the intellectual capital outside the business school too, and in the wider university at Oxford. One of the ways it does this is through a lifetime membership of the Oxford Union for the students. From MBA debates about the social responsibility of businesses, to Bernie Sanders talking about climate change and US politics last week - there is never a dull moment.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0&feature=youtu.be

An opportunity to experience a new part of the globe, everyday for 365 days!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTggcHIIp0&feature=youtu.be

The Oxford MBA helps you explore how businesses can also be about a purpose and not just about profits.

This year at the Skoll World Forum, we had Michael Porter himself using Porter's Five Force Analysis (OMG right?!) to explore such topics. And this wasn't an isolated case.

Through the year we have had conferences which have helped us explore these ideas of social impact through businesses - at the Emerge Conference, Social Impact Careers Conferece, Skoll World Forum and Responsible Business Forum. And of course, these are excellent places to meet like-minded people and network with them.

*Oxford MBA applications essay tips, maybe?*

Victory.Passion.Glory. Its an everyday Oxford MBA story !!!!
Check out: http://ow.ly/YrRZ30chaxw