Haadi is studying on our Full-time MBA and part of the class of 2019, originally from Sydney Australia. We wanted to find out why he travelled 11,000 miles to study his MBA with us.
Haadi graduated from university in Sydney with an undergraduate in mechanical engineering. He went on to work for a mechanical engineering company in the sales and marketing team focusing on strategy planning. After a couple of years working here, Haadi wanted to move to an engineering related role. He then got a job at Rio Tinto, a global mining company. With mining being a massive part of the Australian economy this was a natural progression for him.
“After being with Rio for a couple of years I decided I wanted to move to the other side of the fence to a consulting role, so I left Rio and joined a niche mining consultancy firm in Sydney. I worked here for a year and a half till I decided to break away from this industry and start my own business. This was not a success but gave me good experience and was a good learning curve to help me think about what I wanted to do with my career.”
Haadi moved to Manchester in 2015 after marrying a girl from the UK. When he first arrived in Manchester he had a job in technical sales and stayed in this role for just over a year until he realised he needed to invest in his education in order to make any career progression. It was at this moment he decided to start researching his options, either a masters or an MBA. Haadi had looked into studying an MBA earlier in his career and had already come across Alliance Manchester Business School. He loved everything about this programme so when he returned to the idea of an MBA five years later he knew that Manchester would be his first choice.
We asked Haadi if he had thought about studying an MBA back in Australia. He told us that the Manchester offering with “learn by doing” was what really appealed to him and studying in Australia wouldn’t give him the same exposure to a wider business community that you have being in Europe. After completing his research into MBA programmes, he knew that Manchester was the one for him.
Haadi discussed the teaching styles in the UK compared to Australia. “There is not much difference in the style of teaching in the classroom, what sets Manchester aside is the practical element with the projects and real live consultancy. You learn so much more when you are able to practice the theories you are taught in the classroom and Manchester give you the platform to do this.”
The lifestyle difference in Manchester to Sydney was a change for Haadi with the shift in climate being a big hurdle to get over and the British food. The MBA programme he said made all these cultural transitions easier, being part of a class of over one hundred people trying something new for the first time together. “Geographically Manchester is the ideal place to be based, the UK is in a privileged position compared to Australia and being in Manchester is a lot cheaper than London and is so easily accessible to places not just all over Europe but around the world. I enjoy the national parks of the Lake District and Peak District and as they are only two hours away by car they are the perfect escape from the city life. Manchester also has a lot to offer with its culture, going to the theatre and the restaurant and bar scene.”
As the programme draws to a close for Haadi, we wanted to know some of his highlight. “My highlights of the MBA have been the friendships I have created; I know that if I go to Colombia or Indonesia I will always have a place to stay. Seeing yourself develop and the way you think and approach problems is really fulfilling as you can see how the MBA has impacted your thinking in a short space of time. The extra-curricular activities offered to us on the MBA have also been a highlight for me, especially the MBAT sporting competition in Paris, this is where our entire class bonded for life.”
