Leo Haigh

Georgia Institute of Technology – Scheller College of Business

“Creative thinker who values communication and loves to take on complex challenges.”

Hometown: Harrogate, United Kingdom

Fun Fact About Yourself: I once gave Bill Gates a tour of the UK Parliament.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Nottingham, Politics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Sage, Government Relations Manager

When you think of Georgia Tech, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Scheller MBA and the larger university thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? What really stood out to me about Scheller is not just that it’s known as a great business school, but also its reputation as somewhere to really learn about the role technology plays in business and how this can be leveraged to drive success. As someone who has previously worked in the tech sector, I wanted to build on my experience by acquiring really strong data skills and learning more about how to commercialize technology innovation. These have been common themes throughout my core semester, and I’ll be focusing on these skills during my remaining time at Georgia Tech by taking part in our MBA TI:GER program, which stands for Technology Innovation: Generating Economic Results.

What has been your favorite part of Atlanta so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA? Atlanta is a hugely diverse city with so much to offer. Having lived in London for many years, it was important for me to get my MBA in a city with a lot of variety and the potential to experience different cultures, foods, and activities. Being used to a more variable and less predictable climate in my native UK, I have particularly enjoyed being able to spend more time outdoors in Atlanta, whether that’s dining out or spending time at the many great spots along Atlanta’s BeltLine.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of the Scheller MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?  Scheller has an outstanding career services centre, the Jones MBA Career Center, that is consistently ranked as one of the best in the US. As someone who is looking to move from a non-traditional career background in politics and government relations, it was really important for me to have a team around me who is invested in my future and to be a part of a business school that leading companies want to recruit from. Scheller’s career services team does an excellent job of guiding us on our career search and connecting us with some great companies.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Georgia Tech Scheller? I have really enjoyed taking part in the Managing Technology Club. We’ve heard from some excellent guest speakers to get their advice on how to make the most of your MBA experience, including recent alumni who have gone on to work for some impressive tech companies post-MBA. Our Managing Tech Club also has done a fantastic job of connecting current students to tech firms looking to hire MBA product managers and product marketers.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My career highlight was working with the UK Government to successfully persuade them to implement a new scheme of incentives to help small businesses adopt technology. At Sage, I identified a problem in the UK software market where the country lagged international competitors when it came to technology adoption among small businesses. By leveraging polling data, customer interviews, and insight from colleagues, I worked with the UK Government to identify an effective solution. After plenty of consultation with government, the analysis and campaigning work that I led resulted in securing a new scheme of government-funded software vouchers for small businesses worth hundreds of millions.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: I have had the privilege of hosting our Scheller College of Business podcast, The Intersection, which has been a lot of fun and a great learning experience for me. I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of our excellent faculty and staff, from career services to our business innovation leads, and learn more about my very talented classmates. It’s been really rewarding to have the opportunity to give back to the Scheller community so early in my MBA experience and I’m looking forward to working on further episodes with my classmates and the staff at Georgia Tech.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Scheller MBA program? Try to network as much as possible with existing students. The MBA program at Georgia Tech has a significant number of MBA Ambassadors who are a great resource for students looking to learn more about the program. They’re on hand to give an insiders’ guide to the application process and what it’s like to be an MBA student at Scheller. I found their insight hugely valuable when I was applying to Scheller.

DON’T MISS: MEET GEORGIA TECH’S MBA CLASS OF 2023 AT SCHELLER COLLEGE