Emma Moberly

London Business School

“Hard-working, motivated, sociable Londoner”

Hometown: London, UK

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve recently started learning to kitesurf!

Undergraduate School and Major: Oxford University, History

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: The Wellcome Trust, Strategy Development Adviser

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I really liked the international focus of the MBA programme. Not only are the class and faculty very international, but this outlook also runs through the course, where there are opportunities like international exchanges and the Global Business Experience. This perspective was really important to me given that business nowadays is so global.

I was also really interested by the modules on sustainable and responsible business and additional opportunities to get involved in social impact through clubs and societies, which linked closely to my interests and career aspirations.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates and why? It’s amazing how international the class is and how varied people’s career backgrounds are. For me, one of the key things about the programme is learning from how other people approach problems and I’m really looking forward to meeting and studying with people from such a range of different backgrounds.

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? As a Londoner, I am slightly biased, but I can’t think of a better city to do an MBA. It’s such a dynamic city, with a huge diversity of interesting companies to explore on your doorstep.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Contributing to developing a strategy for the Wellcome Trust – a global charitable foundation focused on health that spends c.£1bn p.a. on its charitable activities. It was really rewarding to contribute to the future direction of an organization that does such important work.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I knew that I wanted to move into a new sector and thought an MBA would be a great way to develop my skills and gain practical experiences to allow me to do so.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None – I knew that LBS was the right school for me and so I only applied there.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? It was tough trying to summarise all the reasons that I wanted to do the MBA at LBS into only 500 words!

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I made a list of the reasons that I wanted to do an MBA and what I hoped to get out of it. I then spoke to current students and alumni at different programmes, examined the course structure and content, and looked at what alumni had gone on to do after graduating. It quickly became apparent that, for what I wanted to do, LBS was the best fit.

As I lived in London, I was also then fortunate to be able to attend an example LBS MBA class and a Women in Business event on campus, both of which reinforced my decision by showing the impressive level of teaching and the school’s dedication to supporting women succeed on the MBA programme and beyond.

What have you been doing to prepare yourself for business school? I’ve been speaking to as many people as possible! There is so much at LBS and I’ve found it really helpful speaking to alumni to figure out what I want to prioritse in my first term. It’s also been great to start to meet other admits virtually – it definitely feels like a community already even though we haven’t been able to meet in person yet because of COVID-19.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? For me, accepting a job at The Wellcome Trust after three years working in Strategy Consulting was a defining moment. Working at Wellcome helped me realise that one of the main things that motivates me in my career is delivering impact – something I’m looking forward to exploring further as part of the MBA programme.

What is your favorite company and what could business students learn from them? I’m really interested in the intersection of business and ‘purpose’ and how this can contribute to a company’s growth. I think Bulb is a great example of a company that has been really successful because it is a responsible business committed to its customers and to providing green energy – which I think MBA students can really learn from.

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