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Before I came to Manchester to study the MBA I was living in Cairo, Egypt. I began working in consultancy and then moved to work with Unilever as Operations Engineer. From here I worked at SC Johnson and Henkel.
The decision to study an MBA
It was while working at Unilever that I started to understand the business side of a company. Unilever are very customer orientated which meant I learnt a lot about the B2C market. I stayed in this role for 3 years doing a lot of the operations. I then worked for SC Johnsons as an Engineering Manager, leading projects. I was very young when I took this role, so it was an extremely exciting time for me. It was a challenge to take on this role at such a young age, but it gave me high exposure at an international level. It was because of all this work experience that I got the taste for working internationally and I knew I wanted an international career. This was when I made the decision to study an MBA abroad.
Why Manchester
I chose Manchester as I love the city. As for the programme, the learning by doing mantra with the consultancy projects is amazing and not something you get with a lot of other business schools. With Alliance Manchester Business School's (AMBS) Full-time MBA you don’t just get the theory, you also get the practice and learning to use this business knowledge with customers. You find out as you go how these teachings will impact a customer.
Starting my journey during the pandemic
I decided to start my MBA studies during the Covid-19 pandemic as I knew ultimately Covid was going to end. I started my working life in 2011 during the Egyptian revolution when the middle east had a lot of changes. I was already used to this sort of disruption. Everything comes to an end and I was not prepared to put my life on pause because of the pandemic. I believe the MBA is going to boost my career, so it was a no brainer to study now and not delay. Already the MBA is boosting my career with the networking sessions, club events and completing an internship with Amazon.
The MBA so far
Outside of the classroom, I chair the pharma and retail club. I have held events with alumni from the sector which have provided fantastic networking opportunities for my cohort. Hearing the insights from these alumni and how we can progress our careers is just amazing. I enjoy chairing this club as pharma is a sector that really excites me, especially in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 will not end without the pharma industry. It is ever changing, and it is so fascinating with further ecommerce companies entering the sector. It is great to be witnessing all the changes happening during these times.
I have just completed my internship with Amazon on their pathways programme. This has been an incredible opportunity. The innovation at Amazon is amazing and I feel so lucky to be a part of this.
On reflection
When I take time to reflect on my experiences to date and think where I see myself after completing the MBA, I have two thoughts. I love being part of the culture of AMBS and the relationship between current students and the alumni network. I look forward to being able to give back when I am part of the alumni community. As for my career, I know I want to start an international journey.
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