Jemima Maunder-Taylor

London Business School

“Small but mighty: this 5ft LBS-er can speak Latin, run marathons and write award-winning advertising.”

Hometown: London, United Kingdom

Fun Fact About Yourself: Before embarking upon a career in advertising, I was a coral reef research diver. I contributed over 200 hours’ worth of coral biodiversity data and enjoyed meeting the local wildlife – even the grumpy turtle who head-butted me for disturbing his nap.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Cambridge (Queens’ College), Classics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior strategist at eatbigfish, a consultancy specializing in building challenger brands

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? London is a whirlwind of opportunity, both professionally and personally,­ and LBS is situated right in the middle. LBS students live and learn in the most bustling metropolis in the world. Global premier business institutions thrive in the high streets as a vibrant social scene. Entrepreneurship is visible on every street corner. Planning a career and a future here means invaluable contacts, networks, and resources on your doorstep. Not to mention, there are hundreds of different languages, ideas and cultures you’ll encounter.

Equally important, London is an easy place to call home – and will always feel as such! Energy, greenery and welcoming people are the hallmarks of this city. Before even beginning our MBAs, we 2023 admits have been exploring restaurants and museums in the heart of the city, playing games during picnics in the green parks and wandering through some of the most famous streets in the world – all within half a mile of LBS!

London Business School is one of the most culturally and professionally diverse MBA programs in the world. How do you see these global perspectives enhancing the value of your business education over the next two years? As an advertising strategist, I have a near-unique background as an MBA candidate. Building a career in an ideas industry taught me the value of having a global perspective – from harnessing business insights to inspiring new thinking and innovation. I wanted to study somewhere that shared my belief in the value of diversity of expertise, experience, friendships and abilities. The LBS MBA stood out because of its emphasis on bringing together so many different brains and personalities, to forge new ways of solving complexities and challenges. I believe that learning and honing my abilities in this environment will equip me with the best, varied set of skills with which to progress my career into leadership positions.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of London Business School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? LBS’ MBA programme offers the richest mix of opportunity for aspiring leaders. Alongside the rigour of the academic curriculum, there is the extensive elective syllabus, which provides candidates with the opportunity to broaden their achievements outside of the traditional skills required by their current career path. For those who want to explore new horizons, this variety and breadth is a crucial component in the journey towards achieving a leadership position. During my research, I was struck by how approachable, energetic and ambitious LBS students and alumni were. The school’s emphasis on helping students create and reach their vision, pushing their boundaries, made choosing LBS an easy decision.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School? I’m excited to join the Women in Business Club and build my network over the next 21 months at LBS. LBS has a strong record of attracting aspiring women leaders to its MBA course, which was an important factor in my decision to apply. The Women in Business Club has already grown its membership considerably and has arranged an impressive line-up of speakers and benefactors. A particular highlight for me (as an admit) was being invited to join the club’s annual conference – where Elizabeth Warren gave the keynote address!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: There’s a saying in advertising – ‘the work, the work, the work’ – which governs how agencies, creatives, execs and strategists alike sum up their achievements. I’m proud of two pieces of ‘work’ I won awards for, which are very different from each other.

In 2017, I won a silver Cannes Lion for a long-form film for a stop smoking brand. It was the product of a long period of strategy development, in which I repositioned the brand in order to find new routes to market to enable growth and NPD. Two years later, I won two awards for a completely different piece of ‘work’ – a much smaller-budget advert, only one minute long, but which was close to my heart. It was a new marketing campaign for a charity that was losing relevance, increasingly crowded out by charities with louder megaphones (and deeper pockets). The campaign reversed awareness decline and galvanized the charity’s stakeholders – most of whom were beneficiaries of its services. Seeing their reactions to our campaign is a memory I’ll treasure!

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? COVID-19 had a huge impact on the advertising industry, which led me to reassess my own goals. I realized that I wanted to pursue a leadership role where I could drive the agenda for brand and communications as a key driver of business growth. My MBA is the next step in my journey towards leadership roles in communications which influence investment decisions at board level.

COVID-19 also made me realise how much our professional networks can be personally enriching. My network expanded as many former colleagues pursued new ventures during their lockdowns; three have since opened their own small businesses. Other colleagues moved into new agencies, creating new networks of different industry contacts. But perhaps most importantly, I found that I spent better quality time with my colleagues during COVID-19. That’s because, instead of a tube journey, the next meeting was only a click away!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? My post-MBA goals are to join the ranks of women business leaders in the communications world and fulfil a leadership position as a brand and communications director. I decided to pursue an MBA to build my network of future female leaders and hone my leadership skills. LBS’ MBA experience has a strong emphasis on both creativity in solving business challenges and the diversity of its student cohort. These will be invaluable to me as I expand my professional network and build my arsenal of leadership skills in pursuit of my post-MBA goals.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied only to LBS!

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program? When researching LBS’ MBA programme, I spoke to as many alumni and students as I could. I got a real sense of the student body and a feel for the school just by meeting for coffees or quick Zoom and phone calls (great practice for all the networking coming up)! I was struck by how friendly and ready to help the community was, which was a key factor influencing my decision. I think this approach also helped me to demonstrate my fit for the community in my application, as well as bring to life the contributions I would make. I would advise potential applicants to invest time and energy there – whilst it’s important to reach for that high GMAT score and have an impressive academic record or resume, it’s also crucial to cultivate those experiences and conversations – they’ll give you a unique insight for your application!

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