The Dean’s Excellence Award is given to prospective Global Online MBA students who have demonstrated exceptional academic and professional accomplishments, and have displayed impactful leadership. The September 2018 scholarships were awarded to Matt Phillips and Cornelia Andersson.
To celebrate, they were invited to the Scholarship Winners reception hosted by the Dean, Professor Francisco Veloso, along with all recent scholarship winners.
Matt Phillips
Policy Advisor and Commander, US Navy, Washington DC, U.S.
I live just outside of Washington DC in the U.S. In my previous role I was a Fellow and Advisor to the Vice President – it was an incredible experience. I’ve recently started a new position as Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Defence, Jim Mattis. I’m back to wearing the Navy uniform.
Why did you choose to study an MBA?
I have a very technical background. My undergraduate degree is in computer science and my post graduate degrees are in network security, computer science and nuclear engineering. The more senior you get in the Navy, the more parts of it start to look like a business – you have to make good decisions on programme acquisitions and finance constraints. So I’m studying an MBA to gain more business experience.
Why did you choose to study the Global Online MBA?
My current job doesn’t allow me to do an in residence course. So to stay on track for what I want to achieve in the Navy and still get that business experience, this was the best choice for me.
I wanted to study at a top-tier school that had global exposure and diversity, as well as being competitive. Looking at my cohort, there are 35 different countries represented, from different backgrounds, ranging from oil, finance and government service. There’s great diversity within the class.
"It’s a real high honour to have been awarded the Dean’s Excellence Award. I’ve gotten to know the background of some of the other scholarship winners as well, and to be in the company of them is a privilege."
Cornelia Andersson
Vice President, Head of Research & Market Data, Global Corporate Services, The Blackstone Group. London, United Kingdom
I’m currently the Vice President, Global Head of Research and Market Data, for Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, based in London. I manage the firm’s Research team and oversee Market Data Services across all business units, globally, providing business intelligence and information services to deal teams, asset management teams and senior management.
Receiving the Dean’s Excellence Award is an honour and a privilege. I’m delighted to be selected as a recipient among such strong candidates.
What key skills are you looking to gain from studying an MBA?
Across MBA graduates, the common denominator is outstanding analytical thinking, business insight and the ability to think strategically. It’s not about traditional classroom learning, but about acquiring a new way of thinking and approaching business problems.
While I have the drive and the mindset to allow me to be successful professionally, an Imperial MBA will provide me with additional skills to reach even further.
What are you most looking forward to when studying your MBA?
I’m most looking forward to getting to know and learn from my fellow class members. We had a lot of fun networking and building relationships in our first week. The level of experience and expertise in the group is astounding. Students are based all over the world, in sectors as diverse as Silicon Valley, African and Middle Eastern oil and gas and Chinese manufacturing.
"I’m looking forward to the rigorous exposure to management training to develop my natural leadership style. I’m hoping to acquire a new approach to, and way of thinking about, strategic and operational business issues as well."
About the Global Online MBA
The Global Online MBA programme has been ranked first in the UK in the 2018 QS Distance Online MBA rankings. The programme has also been named the third best distance online MBA in the world.
The two year, part-time programme is delivered in a flexible online format that focuses on innovative thinking and new technology to deliver a practical curriculum.
The next intake will commence in January 2019. Applications are being accepted and a number of scholarships are available. To be considered for a scholarship, please submit your application by the 26 October deadline.
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