I have lived and worked in Manchester for the last 5 years. Currently I work as the Head of Analytics Platform and Data Engineering for Pets at Home and my previous job roles include Head of Data Science for The Hut Group. I am now studying the Global Part-time MBA alongside working.
My current job
The petcare industry has boomed over the pandemic due to the increase in pet ownership. Pets at Home is well placed to benefit from this trend as we’re a petcare ecosystem rather than just a retailer, meaning we provide veterinary and grooming services too. We have a number of transformation projects in the pipeline as well from digital to supply chain. From a data point of view, we have just completed our data transformation during the pandemic, which we’ve already leveraged to optimise our marketing campaigns and our understanding of customer behaviour across the entire group. We’re very excited about the future of data in the petcare industry given the amount and uniqueness of our data.
Studying an MBA
Studying an MBA has always been something I wanted to do for the intellectual stimulation, networking opportunities and career advancement. I never felt the time was right, but finally the time is right, and I am pursuing my dream. I have full support from my company, including funding, access to the right people, and flexibility to weave my studies in between my work commitments. I am also in a good place in my personal life where I can really focus on making the most of this opportunity.
I never wanted to study my MBA anywhere other than Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS), so much so that I never applied to any other university. The business school has such an incredible reputation, inspirational teachers and an ideal course structure for a part-time programme with sufficient flexibility in the second year – from content to location. It is also a major benefit that the campus is only 10 minutes from my flat.
Back to campus
Being able to be back on campus to study was amazing. Regardless of the pandemic, being a part-time student, you don’t enjoy the full university experience as a lot of the teaching is remote. When the opportunity arises that you can be on campus for workshops, I like to make the most of it. This time the weather was great, the lectures were interesting, the group work was challenging, and everyone was in high spirits and keen to make the most of it. The highlight of the workshops is meeting with others on the course. I am blown away by the diversity of thought and background of the cohort and generally how passionate and knowledgeable everyone is.
The course so far has been exceptionally practical and transferable. I am really enjoying the Leading and Managing in a Global Environment module as it has opened up interesting conversations I would otherwise not have. For example, critically analysing narratives vs actions, discussing ESG and sustainability with my CEO and discussing shareholder pressure with our investor relations department. The MBA has given me the leverage to have conversations outside of my field.
