Tanya Agarwal

London Business School

“An award-winning theatre producer with a passion for exploring how media can be used to promote social change.”

Hometown: London, UK

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I once vaccinated 250 pigeons in a day for an outdoor theatre show.

Undergraduate School and Major:  

Durham University, UK – History (BA)

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Creative Producing (MA)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Producer, Paines Plough

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? London is such a vibrant business hub where opportunities for work, study, and leisure are endless. As someone who is looking to make a career transition, it’s invaluable to have so many different industries on my doorstep. I also love how green the city is. You can be caught up in the hustle and bustle of urban life, walk ten minutes, and find yourself in the calm of one of the city’s many beautiful parks.

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? London is already a cosmopolitan city, and LBS clearly embraces the city’s ethos of welcoming a diverse array of peoples from all walks of life to foster a better community. LBS wouldn’t be the school it is today without this diversity, and it’s something I believe should be at the forefront of my studies and my career.

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? I was drawn to the flexible nature of the course. Having the option to exit at the 15-, 18-, or 21-month mark means that you can really tailor the MBA to what best suits your personal journey. It means that you can take part in term-time internships, global experiences, and bespoke courses without having to stress about how that might affect your time at LBS.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School? The “Global Experiences” offers a chance to immerse ourselves in different business cultures first-hand. This is undoubtedly unique to LBS and is something that I am really looking forward to. I am also excited about the language courses that LBS offers. As someone who has been learning Spanish for the past two years, I am keen to develop my language skills further and enhance them to suit a business setting.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment is when I produced a 7-week tour of a new award-winning musical during the pandemic. It was a tricky and precarious time to be creating live theatre and involved a lot of risk management (and an expert knowledge of COVID protocols in a very short space of time!). I handled everything, including hiring the creatives, negotiating with venues, and raising over £160,000 in capital. As a result, the show was nominated for the Visionary Honors Award 2022 in the Best Play/Musical category for its social impact in culture, media, and entertainment.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why?  I would recommend taking time to consume non-MBA related media to ensure that you don’t burn out! It can be extremely overwhelming applying to business school, so I think it’s important to make sure that you take time to remove yourself from that stress. My go-to is re-runs of The Office (although I wouldn’t recommend taking any business advice from Michael Scott!).

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation?  Having worked in theatre for the past few years, I am keen to take a step back to develop new skills and explore how I want my professional life to develop. My ambition is to continue working in the Entertainment Industry, but with a focus on streaming services with one of the leading content creation companies. I have seen first-hand how beneficial the MBA at LBS can be for individuals making a career change, as my father is also an alumnus (class of ’98) and was able to transition from Chemical Engineering into Investment Banking.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program? My advice is to be yourself in your application, and not to stress about fitting into what you might perceive to be the “perfect” MBA candidate. As a theatre producer, I was apprehensive about applying to business schools as I wasn’t sure that my unconventional background would translate in my application. Instead, I found that LBS not only welcomes those from different backgrounds, but actively encourages them to apply.

DON’T MISS: MEET LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2024