Meet Imperial’s MBA Class of 2024

Which global business school, attached to one of the world’s top 10 universities, has earned a reputation for combining innovative thinking with the latest technology to develop solutions to real world issues, benefiting business and improving society?

Imperial College Business School is a place that inspires brilliant minds. As part of Imperial College London, a global leader in science and technology, the business school is focused on big questions that will help ensure a world that is healthy, smart, sustainable and resilient. The innovative and highly selective range of MBA and specialized master’s are infused with cutting-edge research around digital transformation, entrepreneurship and innovation, finance and institutional resilience, healthcare management and policy, and sustainability and climate change.

Students start the academic year with a memorable Winter Party in the nearby Natural Science Museum, and they can follow lectures hosted by hologram, chart data in across a 360° observatory, and get to cross the stage at the Royal Albert Hall as they graduate.

It’s no easy feat to stand out in what is possibly the world’s busiest MBA market. And Imperial College Business School continues to attract some of the best and brightest students from around the world to London to take on their one-year full-time MBA program.

How? Through a combination of academic excellence and imagination whilst maintaining a solid foot within the realities of industry, the willingness to explore the unmapped potential of new technologies and encouraging students to engage and test their own limits of what’s possible.

Imperial College Business School graduation at Royal Albert Hall, London

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

The South Kensington location doesn’t hurt either, surrounded by London/s museum district and short stroll from Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. For students like Taiye Oloriade, who travelled from Nigeria to take on the MBA, the lure of the London lifestyle proved impossible to resist. Since the MBA program began he has been taking full advantage of everything the UK capital has to offer. “I particularly enjoy sightseeing, visiting parks, taking scenic journeys, playing football games or dining out at any of the many restaurants,” he says.

Classmate Teresa Gomes, who joined the cohort from India, agrees. “London’s cosmopolitan vibes make me feel I’m surrounded by a melting pot of cultures, and that it’s a place that warmly embraces international people. This aspect makes the MBA enriching, both academically and culturally,” she shares. Taiye and Teresa are not alone in their love of London — the city is the top choice for students according to QS’ Best Student City Rankings 2023.

Leveraging its location and heritage to its advantage, Imperial College Business School weaves a depth of cultural and historical engagement into its MBA curriculum, providing a bespoke and enriching experience. “The first term isn’t over yet, and we’ve already kicked off the term at the Science Museum, went to the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of a leadership module, did our first hike as a class to the Seven Sisters cliffs in Sussex, and my study group won tickets to the Royal Albert Hall as part of an analytics competition,” Aakanksha Jaiswal shares, noting that London is a city in which the saying “work hard, play hard” is not only possible but provides limitless opportunity.

Having the competition on your doorstep also makes for some invaluable learning opportunities. “The proximity to these institutions allows for frequent interaction and networking opportunities with students from other schools,” says Eva Look, who has capitalized on the school’s willingness to encourage students to network outside of the classroom, and even the campus. “For instance, we recently had a social session with the LBS MBA cohort, which enabled us to establish connections right at the beginning of our MBA journeys,” she says.

Other business students certainly have a lot to learn from Imperial’s class of 2024 too. Since its inception, the school has deliberately carved out a solid identity for itself by providing education and training to serve industry, becoming not just a UK but a global leader as a result. Renowned for fusing STEM skillsets with a robust business education Imperial College Business School creates education programs which are inherently future focused. As a result, students entering into Imperial’s MBA classroom tend to break the typical mould of what a business school student should be, and what they can accomplish.

“For an international female engineer looking to transition into consulting, pursuing an MBA in London offers a unique pathway,” shares Rainah Alamili, who says that moving from Washington, D.C. to the UK’s capital not only provided her with a route to top-tier education with Imperial, but also offered the right environment for a career transition. “The city’s diversity, global business connections, and access to prominent consulting firms create ample networking opportunities, allowing for a smoother transition into the consulting industry. Additionally, the comprehensive MBA curriculum equips engineers with valuable business acumen and leadership skills crucial for success in the consulting domain, making London an ideal destination to facilitate this career shift,” she continues.

It’s a combination that, so far, has kept the business school amongst the top players in a number of prestigious rankings including The Financial Times, where the Imperial MBA currently resides 4th in the UK.

AN INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK

For MBA applicants, Imperial offers a window to the world. This year’s cohort spans 21 nationalities amongst 54 students, and encompasses a plethora of industries from the more traditional consulting, banking and finance sectors to those employed within governments and even the media and entertainment sectors.

It’s this level of international and industrial diversity which David MacDonald believes has given him a window to the world. “Whether I am listening to a tax specialist from Singapore, a marketing expert from USA or a musician from India you can guarantee you will be learning something new,” he enthuses. Alamili agrees. “Interacting with peers from varied cultural backgrounds exposes me to different approaches, problem-solving methodologies, and cultural nuances in business, broadening my understanding and adaptability,” she says.

Having the world represented within one lecture theatre is certainly an attractive prospect to any MBA applicant, but there is a world beyond London to explore. “Not only is the class of people diverse, but you also have to opportunity to travel to diverse locations and learn about business abroad, all adding to the global aspect of the program,” shares Annelise Wipli. Learning opportunities such as Imperial’s Global Experience Week provide such opportunities for Annelise and her classmates to explore local economies, business environments and cultures in locations that might be wholly unfamiliar to them. Previously held in locations such as Kenya and Brazil, students learn how business environments can shape the ways in which problems can occur and, most importantly, how they can be solved.

INNOVATION & SPECIALISM

Whilst many business schools around the world boast a commitment to innovation, Imperial is one of few to embody such ideals both in its teaching and its own activities. The school set out its stall for testing boundaries from the get-go, becoming an early adopter of online education, starting with a distance-learning MBA as far back as 2002 and evolving this into a full-blown Online MBA years before many of its peers had explored such waters. By allowing this exploration to bleed into full-time MBA teaching as well, ensuring both styles of learning (online or campus-based) for the MBA could be equally valuable. “Given our unique connection in one of the world’s leading science and technology universities, it’s not surprising Imperial College Business School applies the latest technological innovation and research in the classroom,” says MBA Academic Director James Barlow.

This ethos encourages students to break new ground. “Innovation and entrepreneurial mindset are important for a companies and organizations that want to thrive,” says Markus Perkmann, vice dean of research and faculty at the school. “At Imperial we teach innovation and entrepreneurship as a learnable skill, relevant for virtually all job roles, ranging from strategy, marketing, finance and project management to name a few,” he continues.

One way of doing this is through the Imperial Innovation Challenge, which tasks MBA students with combining their expertise to identifying commercialization opportunities for new technologies originating at the school. “This involves evaluating what new technology can potentially do, how it can be deployed and how much it is worth. Learning these kind of skills is exceedingly valuable in any company that either produces innovations inside or seeks to source innovative ideas from the outside. Technology and innovation is essential in Imperial’s DNA,” Perkmann says.

Here too, the opportunity exists to network beyond the school’s walls and leverage the very best London has to offer. For students such as Eva Look and Edison ‘Nuñez Toro, the Innovation challenge has been a highlight of the MBA experience so far. “We are experiencing amazing moments,” says Edison. “Our network in London enables us to collaborate with prestigious institutions like the Royal School of Arts and the Royal School of Music. Through these collaborations, we have participated in deep-tech innovation challenges, improved our skills using cutting-edge technology, and received real-time feedback to improve our pitch skills”.

Outside of the curriculum, students can continue to embody this ethos in the school’s Enterprise Lab. Providing support for not just students but also staff and alumni who wish to flex their entrepreneurial capabilities, the Lab creates a diverse network of experts, coaching and even access to financial support. “The robust entrepreneurship ecosystem, exemplified by initiatives like The Enterprise Lab, was crucial,” says MBA participant Ishaan Gandhi. “It offers a unique opportunity to learn from founders at various stages, providing access to a network of potential investors — an invaluable resource for my aspirations as an entrepreneur.”

While innovation runs through the core of the program, so does the knowledge that industry needs the lifeblood of leaders who can be knowledgeable beyond the traditional MBA core modules, and have the ability to adapt their thinking and collaborate with an ever-widening range of experts. As such, the program boasts a more than 40 electives, offered both on campus and online, to allow MBA students to personalize their learning journeys.

Such a solid, realistic industry perspective in the curriculum has seen more than 93% of graduates employed within three months of graduation, with 71% taking up positions in new global locations, helping to spread Imperial’s expertise around the world.

Next Page: An interview with Imperial’s vice dean and academic director