George Dear 

Imperial College Business School 

Hometown:  Warsash, United Kingdom

Fun Fact About Yourself: I took up Taekwondo when I was younger after seeing a session at my local sports centre. I enjoyed it so much I went on to earn my Black Belt in 2011. 

Undergraduate School and Major: Civil Engineering, University of Surrey 

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Balfour Beatty, Assistant Project Manager

What were some of the key motivating factors behind pursuing your MBA, and why did this seem like the right time for you? The first motivating factor was the pivot in my career. I come from a career in construction Project Management which I have enjoyed thoroughly, however I wish to combine the skills learned during these six years and combine them with the knowledge gained during the MBA to pivot into a role within the Private Equity or Consulting industries. 

The second factor was to accelerate my career progression. I am looking to do this through an MBA by improving my business acumen and leadership qualities. I have arrived at a point in my career where I have become increasingly involved with strategic decisions and leadership opportunities. The knowledge gained during my MBA will best position me to succeed in roles of this nature in the future. 

What have been your first impressions of the Imperial MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Imperial story. The first impressions have all been fantastic since starting the programme in August. The thing that has struck me most about the alumni is their willingness to help and talk to the current cohort about their MBA experiences. This is not only true of recent graduates, such as Felicity, David, Jack and Teresa who spoke to us during a recent Alumni Q&A, but also Andy Shannon, who graduated from the Imperial MBA programme in 2011 and spoke to us about his VC roles. This enthusiasm amongst alumni is testament to the fantastic experiences that they had during their time at Imperial College Business School. 

My first impression of the current MBA cohort has been equally excellent. There is such a diverse range of cultures represented in the MBA classroom, which really lends itself to interesting and educational class discussions. The most prominent instance of this so far is certainly the Diwali celebration and the Japanese night hosted by members of the cohort. These events are aimed at sharing each other’s cultures and really bring the cohort closer together as a result.

Aside from your classmates, what were one or two key aspects of Imperial’s MBA program that led you to choose this Business School and why were they so important to you? The key reason that I chose to apply to Imperial College Business School over others was the integration of the business school with the rest of the university. Being integrated with the second-best university in the world is a massive advantage for the business school that is leveraged excellently. There have been a number of instances that we have collaborated with other departments within the university – such as the Innovation challenge, during which we collaborated with the research teams to develop scientific innovations in to potentially life changing products at pitched the products to Venture Capitalists. This multi-disciplinary collaboration is what really drew me to Imperial.

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA? I am certainly biased as a Londoner; however, I truly believe that London is the best city in the world! I have loved acting as tour guide and sharing my local knowledge with the members of the cohort. 

The best thing about London is there is absolutely something for everyone, and you will never run out if things to do – I think after a year of study we will have barely scratched the surface of the amazing things that London has to offer.

What module, club or activity excites you the most at Imperial? Definitely the LEADS module delivered by Professor Celia Moore and the Capstone event that concludes it. Celia is a fantastic professor who delivers the course with infectious enthusiasm and passion. The focus is on developing our leadership potential by first developing us as individuals. The module covers crucial skills such as self-reflection, emotional intelligence and perseverance and the capstone event provides us with a practical opportunity to apply all of these concepts. The alumni have been tight lipped about the previous capstone trip; however they have all spoken very highly of the experience, which I believe took place on a rainy hill in Norway!

Looking at your admissions process, what was the moment when you realised Imperial was the right program for you? Why? This was certainly the London admissions event that Imperial College Business School organized in the spring. The event is for anyone who received an offer to study on the MBA at Imperial and is aimed at introducing prospective students to London and the Business School. I remember enjoying the Friday night dinner with people from so many different cultures and nationalities feeling very excited about the prospect of studying with such a diverse group.

What are two things you have learned at your school that have surprised you so far — one academic and one non-academic? The first and most surprisingly is that Accounting is not a dark art! It is fair to say that I had mixed feelings about the accounting module as I sat waiting for the first lecture to begin, however Dr. Dannielle Lyssimachou delivers the class in an incredibly intuitive and applied way that made accounting one of my favourite modules to date – something I definitely did not expect to be saying. 

The second and slightly less academic surprise has been the connection with the Royal College of Art. We had the opportunity to use their world leading performance laboratory during our Careers module. Learning to present from some of the best performers in the world was a real privilege and another great example of the business school leveraging the links formed through the university.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: This is certainly achieving the handover of the most recent project that I worked on, this was a £200m development in South East London that took three years of hard work from an exceptional team. 

When I first joined the construction industry, I was motivated by the goal of working on the largest and most complex projects in the country – which is why I joined the UK’s largest construction company. Managing a team to deliver a large portion of one of the largest private developments in London was a fantastic experience, and one that I am immensely proud of. 

Looking ahead one year, what would make your MBA experience successful? The amount that I have learned and the friends that I have made already make the MBA experience a successful one, however if I were to look forward a year beyond the end of the MBA programme, I would hope to be starting a role within the Private Equity or Consulting industry. 

The skills that I have developed during my construction career coupled with the knowledge gained during the MBA provide a unique skill set that I hope to apply in one of these fields following the completion of the MBA programme. 

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Imperial’s MBA? Definitely to reach out to current students and recent alumni with any questions that you may have about your application and life at Imperial College Business School. Discussing these unique insights during your application and interview will really demonstrate that you have thought deeply about the application and the commitment that you are making when you enrol on a full-time programme.  Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions that you may have, I am only too happy to help. 

DON’T MISS: MEET THE ENTIRE IMPERIAL COLLEGE MBA CLASS OF 2025

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