Jack Wilkins

Warwick Business School

“Calm under pressure, curious by default, and relentless about doing right by people.”

Hometown: Chester, Cheshire

Fun fact about yourself: I’m currently creating a fashion blog for young professionals, using style as a practical tool for confidence and career identity.

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Cumbria, Physical Education

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Hexegic Limited, Consultant

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? N/A

Where will you be working after graduation? Undecided

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Change Maker Scholar and peer mentor. I support the wider MBA cohort and regularly help Masters students on other programmes who are adjusting to both UK working culture and the academic culture at WBS. A lot of the value is practical. I reduce the anxiety that stops people engaging in the process and replacing scattergun job applications with targeted outreach, through ‘coffee chats’ that build their network and confident follow-ups to enhance their reputation and continue the conversation. I do this through structured support, including reviewing CVs and cover letters, interview story drills, and clear feedback that helps people meet the academic standard and show up well in recruiting. My aim is simple: widen access to opportunity and raise the bar in how we show up for each other.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Passing Financial Management has been my proudest achievement so far. I am not naturally strong in finance, so I treated it like an operation: break it down, test relentlessly, and close gaps fast. I used AI as a learning partner, quizzing me, re-explaining concepts in assorted styles, and forcing me to articulate the why behind each method until it held under pressure. This did not just help me pass. It proved I can upskill quickly, stay composed, and perform in unfamiliar terrain.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Mentoring soldiers and officers, both as professionals and as leaders. I was a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in the British Army’s Intelligence Corps, which collects, analyses, and shares military intelligence to support commanders’ decision‑making in operations. It also conducts counter‑intelligence and security activities to protect UK forces from hostile threats

My role was to teach intelligence courses to people who later moved into operational roles worldwide. I was teaching soldiers the core skills of military intelligence – how to think, assess, communicate, and lead effectively in high‑stakes environments.

But I was not just delivering content, I was shaping decision-makers. I focused on resilience, calm judgement, confidence, and integrity, because under pressure, character becomes capability. I am proudest when someone leaves not only sharper, but steadier, able to brief clearly, make decisions under pressure, and take responsibility for outcomes. Those standards do not stay in uniform. They carry into the rest of their life.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose WBS for one reason: it values people with real operational experience. My background is British Army intelligence training as an NCO in the Intelligence Corps. And so, the school’s long-standing military ties signalled respect for service, discipline, and teamwork, and that my background would be understood rather than flattened into a cliche. WBS has also turned my non-traditional path into an advantage. I have been able to bring a different lens to teams- practical, people-first, and calm under ambiguity –without being treated as someone outside the business world.

Who was your favourite MBA professor? Sandra Pereira. Her passion made Organisational Behaviour exceptional, but what sets her apart is how she connects theory to the reality of how people actually behave at work. She helped me develop a human-level understanding of how organisations function: power, incentives, identity, and group dynamics. In a year where AI dominates attention, her teaching reinforced something fundamental: outcomes are still determined by human behaviour, and leaders who ignore that always pay for it later.

What was your favourite course as an MBA? Strategic Thinking: Strategic Evaluation and Analysis. It pushed me beyond analysis into judgement-how to frame problems, make decisions under uncertainty, and communicate them with discipline. I came in confident in analysis, but this module forced me to level up. It was less about ‘finding the answer’ and more ‘choosing the right decision’ when there is not a perfect one. It shifted my focus from academic performance to decision quality, and that change has influenced everything I’ve done since.

What was your favourite MBA event or tradition at your business school? The MBA Welcome Dinner at Coombe Abbey. It wasn’t just a social, it set the tone: international, ambitious, and genuinely curious. Food and drink were the backdrop, but people moved quickly from small talk into real conversation about culture, goals, and values. It reflected what I’ve felt consistently at WBS: high-performing people who still take the time to know each other, which makes collaboration faster, stronger, and more enjoyable.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would have taken a formal student liaison role. I naturally mentor people informally, it fits my approach, but a formal position would have lowered the barrier for more students to reach out, especially those who prefer structure and clear responsibility. I’ve learned something important this year: influence is useful, but access is better.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? Theranos. It reinforced that accountability is not theatre, it is an operational requirement with real human consequences. Leadership cannot hide behind slogans like “My door is always open”. At every level, leaders must explain decisions, invite challenge, and own outcomes because when transparency disappears, other people still carry the risk. The biggest lesson from the case study is that governance protects people, not just profit.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Coventry feels like a microcosm of the UK, small enough to be friendly, diverse enough to constantly learn from everyday interactions. It has kept me grounded in why I’m doing an MBA and that is to build organisations that improve lives economically, socially, and emotionally. It has also been genuinely welcoming for international classmates. Culture gets explained in real time through ordinary conversations, and that’s made the year richer for everyone.

What business leader do you admire most? Dr. Alex Karp, less for Palantir’s product and more for the culture he has built. In my role as an external implementation consultant, I worked alongside Palantir teams during client delivery and observed how they combine urgency with unusually high technical standards. I judge workplaces on two things: the non-verbal energy in the room and how people treat support staff. The environment I observed felt purposeful rather than performative, and the respect shown to cleaners and catering staff was genuinely one team. When I met Karp, he spoke to me with the same presence and respect he gave everyone around him. That standard is what I admire.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? WBS has integrated AI in a sensible way. We were given a webinar on the ethical use of generative AI, and the careers have used AI to give us more comprehensive, evidence-based feedback following the Development Centre at the beginning of the academic year. They also incorporate five different AI models in the Salary Negotiation workshop, so that students can practise a salary negotiation scenario with a variety of models.

Additionally, I have built small, custom AI workflows to support both my learning and my job search. It turns dense readings into briefing style summaries and revision prompts, stress tests my arguments with structured counterpoints, and translates role requirements into clear evidence from my experience so each application is targeted rather than generic. Used properly, it accelerates iteration and improves quality. The judgement, evidence, and final wording remain mine.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Karan Mahan. Karan previously served in the Indian Army, and the way he carries responsibility and composure under pressure really stands out. Despite recently transitioning out of military service, his appetite for learning is constant. What I admire most is his willingness to ask the question everyone is thinking without ego, and without fear of looking inexperienced. He sets a tone: steady, positive, and quietly demanding. People raise their game around him.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Lead a management consultancy practice focused on ethical performance and organisational improvement, where culture and people are treated as value drivers, not ‘nice-to-haves.’

2. Build a leadership and internship programme that helps underrepresented talent convert potential into promotion, focused less on pedigree, more on ability, mentorship, and measurable progress.

What made Jack such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Jack’s unique experience, perspective and engaging personality made him stand out in the admissions process.

He had a fascinating role working for the UK’s Ministry of Defence, where most recently he was an Intelligence Consultant and then as an Instructor, training other employees often in high profile and sensitive areas, where he saw his job as to overcome complexity. He was particularly proud of creating a ‘decision point analysis tool’ while in the British Intelligence Corps. He told us how he led the team to create the tool from proof of concept to use for training purposes. It was fascinating and he described how it effectively allows senior decision-makers within planning teams to analyse possible scenarios that informs them what to do next.

Throughout his MBA studies, Jack has continued to demonstrate these strengths. He has been an outstanding mentor to fellow students and consistently supportive of the wider MBA community. His drive to succeed and natural leadership have been evident from the start of the program. His military background adds a valuable perspective to classroom discussions, enriching the learning experience for the entire cohort.”

Sarah Jackson
Alumni and MBA Careers Manager

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