Of the 78 students in the 2017-18 batch of the 1-year Full-Time MBA at the Imperial College of Business, 44% are female that the school highlights as its commitment to achieving gender parity.
“Empowering ambitious talented women with the skills, business acumen and network to achieve their potential in graduate management education and beyond is a crucial step to tackling the global issue of gender equality in business and leadership,” the school says on its website.
In pre-MBA employment, 25% have been in Banking/Finance, 18% Engineering, 10% Consulting/Professional Services, 5% Energy, 4% each in Law, Pharma/Biotech/Healthcare and Real Estate beside 13% Other.
The cohort also promotes diversity with 78% from outside of the UK representing 27 nationalities. Between them, 27 different languages are spoken and most students speak two languages or more. They include 13 students who are fluent in four languages.
They also have varied academic backgrounds with only 17% holding an undergraduate degree in business or management. More than a third hold a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
While 47% of the class is from Asia/Pacific region, UK’s share is 22%. The Americas contributed 17%, Europe 13% and Africa & the Middle East 1%.
In pre-MBA employment, 25% have been in Banking/Finance, 18% Engineering, 10% Consulting/Professional Services, 5% Energy, 4% each in Law, Pharma/Biotech/Healthcare and Real Estate beside 13% Other.
The students have worked in various roles as consultants, entrepreneurs, doctors, project managers, engineers, marketers, data analysts and managers. One of them was a commanding officer in the army.
With an average age of 28 and an average six years of work experience, the diversity in professions and sectors represented in the class is expected to enhance class discussions over the next year, bringing a range of different perspectives to each topic.
One of the students, Crispian Poon, says that within the first two weeks of starting the classes in September, he has realised that an MBA is as much about the networks as it is the academics. He says he has already gained as much knowledge from the cohort as from the academic classes.
Dean Professor Francisco Veloso and Program Director Professor Andreas Eisingerich greeted the new class on the first day of their induction. Andreas, in his speech, referred to the valuable network they could build on with their ‘MBA family’ for the year.
The message struck a chord with Natasha Lakhani, who took it to mean that the students should collaborate than compete with one another. “Our cohort is our tribe and I absolutely love that analogy. It’s a great culture to study in, and the support of the cohort is apparent already,” she says.
The full induction schedule comprised daily activities, workshops and networking events designed to accelerate their relationships as a cohort and cover contemporary business topics, such as resilient leadership, personal branding and unconscious bias.
In the first week, the class had an interaction with Cath Bishop, an Olympic-medal-winning rower and diplomat. The students also spent a day with the school’s Careers & Professional Development Service meeting their individual Careers Consultants.
They also built their professional and personal network with students across all of Imperial’s MBA programs at the annual BBQ. They also had the opportunity to listen to three of Imperial’s leading academics outline their cutting-edge research. They spent a day developing their teamwork skills, tackling high ropes and obstacle courses.
Almost half of the class are looking to change sector and about one third want to change the country they will work in after the MBA. With a third of the class interested in starting their own business in the future, the class has a clear entrepreneurial mindset.