Lambros Efstathiou

Your time at Imperial College Business School

Why did you choose to study your programme and why specifically at Imperial College Business School?

Having taken a few marketing modules as an undergraduate and being drawn into the concept of integrating creativity with technology for data-driven campaigns, this course perfectly catered to all elements of what I was looking for in an MSc. The MSc Strategic Marketing at Imperial College Business School stood out due to the fact that it’s built for professionals that aspire to become future marketing leaders in their respective industry – helping students realise how marketing fits into wider business strategies and giving them a 360-degree understanding of important concepts such as consumer behaviour, brand strategy and marketing analytics. The world-class faculty, diverse cohort and innovative curriculum confirmed my decision to choose the programme at Imperial over alternative programmes globally.

What was the most important learning point you took with you from the Business School?

That networking is key, and understanding how to leverage data and technology will place you a step ahead of your peers. Being part of numerous social clubs and getting involved with extracurricular activities helped me maximise my learning. Imperial hosts some of the greatest minds each year and collaborating with individuals from various backgrounds was inspiring.

To add to this, the fact that the projects assigned as part of the MSc were based on real-life problems and situations, helped put theory into practice. I’d like to spotlighting the Consulting project as part of the Summer term, which brought together learning from the programme as a whole to solve a client business/marketing issue. The recommendations we provided as a group had direct impact to the firm’s marketing leadership board plans.

What advice would you give to a prospective student considering studying the same programme as you?

Initially, I would advise students to apply to the programme early, as this is a top-ranked course. Have in mind that this is a challenging but very rewarding programme, that will provide you with all the necessary tools, knowledge and opportunities to differentiate yourself from other marketing professionals and fast-track your career growth. Be ready to join the cohort and hit the ground running to ensure you take full advantage of everything Imperial has to offer – due to the intensive nature of the programme, time will fly by before you know it!

What was the most surprising thing about the programme?

How diverse the cohort was! My cohort brought together individuals of over 40 nationalities to collaborate on innovative projects – being part of such a diverse environment helped elevate my experience and learning throughout the programme. Plus the fact that the taught modules were very relevant to the current trends in the market meant that I graduated feeling ready to tackle the responsibilities of any job role under the marketing or business umbrella.

What aspects of the programme did you most enjoy?

One of the key aspects that made me an advocate of the programme is the high quality lecturers. Our professors had the ability to turn complex concepts into understandable and compelling theories through their approach and illustration of real-life examples.

What clubs, societies or other activities were you involved in at Imperial?

As the Social Media Manager of the Marketing & Digital Society, I was the coordinator of the digital marketing and PR of the events that took place throughout the academic year. Being an active member of the society helped increase my confidence in sharing ideas and building professional communication with guest speakers. Additionally, taking initiative along with my fellow organising committee members, the first student-led Digital Marketing Festival of the Business School took place. The organisation of the festival required commitment and extensive teamwork and was a big success with over 100 attendees on the day.

Alumni community

In what way is remaining connected to your alumni network important to you?

Remaining connected to the network has been extremely value-adding, both from a professional and personal perspective. Being able to regularly catch up with former classmates and the programme team at alumni events and online sessions is always a great networking opportunity – hearing about graduates’ career progression and experiences after graduating is a great inspiration to me.

Have you volunteered at the Business School since you graduated? If so, why do you feel it’s important to volunteer your time and experience?

Yes – I take pride in helping prospective and current students with as much practical advice and guidance as I can provide. I find that it’s extremely valuable for students to get a view of life after graduating from Imperial with an MSc in Strategic Marketing, as well as actionable advice in terms taking full advantage of the programme and resources available.