As soon as I graduated in 2012, I came to Dubai and joined Chalhoub Group as a Business Development Consultant. In 2015 I moved to Ducont Systems as Business Development Manager. In 2018, I joined Oracle as Senior Territory Manager.
My job function is Sales Management and I am responsible for YoY revenue growth and new customer acquisitions in my territory for SaaS (cloud) applications.
Why did you decide to study for an MBA?
The main reason I decided to study for an MBA after 6 years of work experience was to move into sales from a technical role, and to gain business acumen and an understanding of various functions in a business which is important for a successful sales profession.
I chose University of Birmingham for following reasons; recognition among various analysts which is a guarantee of the quality of education provided at University of Birmingham; diversified experience with students from numerous countries and culture and experience (this added a lot of value to my MBA experience eventually); overall value for money and ROI considerations.
What was the highlight of your MBA experience?
The incubator business and internship consulting experience during the course – this helped me to immediately apply the knowledge I gained in the classroom on real businesses.
The University of Birmingham MBA changed my perspective of looking at life in general and has affected me positively in my personal and professional life. Without realizing it has changed my way of looking at every aspect of life. I can notice the difference in me before and after.
What are your fondest memories of your time at Birmingham?
I cherish memories of football matches with other classes, and the hangouts and house parties that happened on a regular basis! It is all wonderful nostalgic memories. I also learnt a bit of Spanish and picked up some new interests such as Tennis and Squash during my days at UoB.
How did studying for an MBA help you?
The course was a transformational experience for me. It helped me built a holistic and in-depth understanding of all business functions, its challenges and strategies to overcome the business issues. This was done with excellent case studies, group assignments, internship etc.
My MBA has helped me move to my dream sales role in technology industry and understand the pain points of different personas from different companies with whom I talk daily.
What was your MBA Cohort like?
I gained 70 friends from 44 countries! Wherever I travel I can say I have an ex-classmate living there. We all had a great time learning and had so much fun inside and out the campus.
What advice would you give to somebody considering studying an MBA?
Do it. The MBA course at UoB was a transformational experience from which I am reaping benefits on a day to day basis. I believe doing MBA from UoB was on the best investments and decisions I have ever made.
How would you describe the Birmingham MBA Experience in 3 words?
A transformational experience