Charlie Bloxham

IE Business School

“A creative and innovative strategist who loves challenging the status quo of digital and entertainment.”

Age: 34

Hometown: London, UK, currently based in Dubai UAE

Fun fact about yourself: I was once an extra for the Tom and Jerry film at Warner Brothers Studios. I was very excited to see my cameo role as a workman until I realized watching the film that I was cut!!

I attended the filming of every episode of Netflix’s Sing On in English, Spanish and German as an extra backing singer (I can’t sing!) and I won the award for most enthusiastic backing singer. after losing my voice and making my hands bleed with over enthusiastic clapping… I won a coffee… which I had to share… with my friend… outside in the cold… at night… in November… in London.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Roehampton University – BSc Business Management

Where are you currently working?  Freelance Strategy Consultant 

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Pitched a proposal for a startup partnership at Sky.  This led to the creation of a new app in the Sky Glass TV. I also reached the final of Sky Labs Week pitching a new AI sports feature in front of C-Suite. This reflected my passion for discovering innovative new opportunities and bringing them to market.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? IE has a reputation for innovation and entrepreneurship, which are two traits I resonate with strongly. I wanted to attend a school where I could explore these passions and apply them within my projects and strategic thinking.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? An online MBA allows you the time to think and reflect. Rather than a spontaneous comment in class, the forum nature allows you to research into themes in a much deeper way. This allows you to critically analyze in a much more structured way than you can do in the spur of the moment in class.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? I’ve loved it! In a world that’s now transitioning to remote work, I had experience of working in hybrid and remote jobs before starting the GOMBA (the Global Online MBA) so I found the transition quite natural. With everyone in the same position, whether you work remotely or take online MBAs, you learn to replicate the best bits of being in-person and find new ways to replicate that online.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? I’ve become more focused on standards and quality. It’s not enough in the modern world to just be average; we have to be the best versions of ourselves and with that comes trying the best with whatever skillsets we have. Personally, I’ve benefited from being able to think (even more) strategically and creatively by being able to have the time to reflect and analyze.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? I wanted to be able to combine with work while also relocating.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? We’ve been encouraged to use AI sensibly and responsibly to help us research more effectively and analyze from different perspectives. AI can be really useful from being a personal coach and explaining new concepts in terms that you’re familiar with. I was asking Chat GPT to break down statistical and financial concepts into football terms to help explain it to me in more relevant terms.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: Too many! But they’ve all been enjoyable!

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? Create new ventures and strategies in digital entertainment and sport. I want to fill white space in the market and bring strategic foresight to industries to take advantage of emerging opportunities and be more resilient to threats based on detailed analysis, creativity, and critical thinking.

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