If you’re living or working abroad, or planning to, there are many challenges to overcome. Yet some of the most challenging times can arrive in your professional life, especially if you are looking to progress to the next level where you need not only the relevant business and leadership skills, but also the confidence to succeed.
Watching the colleagues and mentors you admire, you might notice in them an unshakeable confidence and the sense that they are flourishing in their roles – and can adapt quickly to new opportunities.
Their secret, more often than not, is a comprehensive business education that prepares them for the possibilities their career presents.
Gaps in your business knowledge?
Reaching a personal and professional crossroads prompted Christen Smith and Scott Perry, both graduates of the EDHEC Global MBA, to consider their next move.
Despite a decade of success in the insurance sector, Christen, from the US, found she was gradually taking on roles and responsibilities she didn’t feel fully equipped for.
“I was at a point where I realised some of the knowledge gaps I had. Suddenly, I was asked to do a lot of profit-modelling and forecasting using unfamiliar analytical models, and I’d never had a formal business education.
“I took on a lot of self-learning, but it was only enough to get by. Some of the knowledge I needed, I needed from experts and experienced colleagues. If I wanted to progress and be a truly effective leader, I needed that formal education.”
Scott, from England, began his career in the software industry but eventually had a similar moment of realisation.
“As I was working on larger projects, I began pondering what came next. Did I want to stay where I was, or move elsewhere? How would I boost my profile to be visible for those opportunities?
“I love software and I knew my field, but I questioned whether I had the knowledge base to handle greater responsibilities around finance and leading larger teams. That was the trigger for me to do an MBA.”
A focus on learning and personal development (in a stunning environment!)
Scott and Christen had different paths leading them to the Global MBA. A ten-month, full-time programme in English, it’s taught at EDHEC‘s modern campus in Nice overlooking the Mediterranean.
For Christen, it was the learning environment that appealed most.
“I focused on four countries and compared some programmes. I wanted to know their individual focus and structures. I also wanted to know more about their cohort – what was the gender split, and how international were they?
“I felt a smaller programme might be a better fit for me and that, along with the female representation, led me to choose the EDHEC Global MBA.”
For Scott, the programme’s content guided his decision – along with the fabulous location!
“The fact that the programme had a specialisation option in digital innovation alongside the strategic foundations really appealed to me.
“The international focus and the incredible diversity of the class plus the school’s commitment to responsible entrepreneurship really helped me to decide that EDHEC was the right choice for me.”
“Studying in Nice, with 300 days of sun each year, was hardly a hard sell either!”
Both Scott and Christen say the small but incredibly diverse class sizes, individual attention from professors, and “hands-on” experiences dealing with real-life business cases helped expand their horizons and grew their confidence as leaders.
“Classes were very active and drew on a huge amount of intellect in the room. There were over 30 nationalities from all different backgrounds and professions in a class of under 80 people! We’d often add on to our lectures with in-depth discussions of what we were covering,” Scott says.
Christen elaborates: “It was an incredibly enriching experience, studying in new, small teams each semester. I was exposed to new knowledge and experiences every couple of months.
“A really powerful aspect of the course was the case studies we role-played. There was one about the internationalisation of an organisation and another about mergers and acquisitions.
“It was incredibly valuable because we weren’t just reading through them but acting them out, and actively negotiating.
“I was also gaining the skills and methodology to analyse that I needed in my more senior roles, from those with years of understanding.”
The confidence to ‘add real value’
So how has the EDHEC Global MBA delivered the confidence for Christen and Scott to excel?
After moving from the US, Christen now works for fleet insurance provider Flock in London – a major change of role as well as location.
“I’m now Chief Revenue Officer, a role the Global MBA gave me the confidence to take on. At EDHEC, I gained a grounding in financial analysis that I required, that I now use daily. I also improved my presentation and management skills, and I can lead larger teams more effectively.”
Scott, now based in Berlin, is Director of Customer Relations at Yara, an agri-business giant using digitisation to solve issues of global hunger.
“I enjoy enduring friendships with classmates, and I’m able to draw from their experience constantly. It’s the kind of learning you can’t get anywhere else,” he says.
“What was truly transformational was the confidence the Global MBA gave me. In my role at Yara, I can speak with confidence and authority in many different environments. I feel I’m able to add real value to our customers. It’s a great feeling.”
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