Maitha Alsuwaidi

Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

“Aiming for number one, following the path of my leader H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid.”

Hometown: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Fun Fact About Yourself: Dived with Seals, Stingrays and Sharks, looking forward to diving with a whale shark.

Undergraduate School and Major: American University of Sharjah, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Etisalat, Cloud Solutions Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:  Moving from an engineering job to being the youngest manager in a business role in my organization.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Ambitious, we come from very different places yet what we tend to have in common is our forward thinking.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The Entrepreneurship project was one of the key factors that influenced me to choose the MBA program at Saïd Business School, especially as I have the intention of having my own business once I graduate. In addition, while conducting my research, I have realized that the MBA at Saïd Business School is not like any other traditional MBA and it tackles the problems and leverages on the opportunities of business today.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I have always been interested in horse riding and had the privilege to practice it in countries I’ve visited such as Japan and the USA. It’s one of the most popular activities in Dubai. I have a passion for it and would like to leverage on what the University of Oxford can offer with that regard.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I wanted to start my own business and contribute more to society. I believe an MBA at this point of my career is the right step to help me accomplish that.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? The value you gain from attending a world-class business school and spending a year abroad with high caliber like-minded individuals is definitely worth the investment.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I only applied to the Oxford MBA Program.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I always aspired to pursue my graduate degree at a renowned world-class institution. I was inspired by the Saïd Business School MBA class which attended the world government summit 2016 held in Dubai. I then did my research on Saïd Business School and what it offers. The fact that the University of Oxford is the number one university with its diverse community and the different teaching methods I knew that it was the logical next step in my career.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I have yet to experience it.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to become an entrepreneur and establish my own business in the field of technology leveraging my experience and background.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Having a well-established profitable business whereby the profits partially provide means of communication and energy to less fortunate developing countries.