Charlotte Parsonson, MA (Hons) Business Management
Coming from a background where university is not often seen as an option, Charlotte Parsonson is grateful for the many opportunities she benefited from during her studies.
"I was admitted to the University of Edinburgh on the back of a scheme that helps people from a non-typical university background. I'd taken a few years out after school and this scheme, combined with my A-levels, enabled me to be accepted into Edinburgh. Hopefully I am proof that your background shouldn't define your route to university."
As well as benefiting from her academic studies, Charlotte also gained a huge amount personally from external opportunities on offer at the School. She visited India on a business trek to learn about sustainability in the textile industry's supply chain, we well as being part of a team who entered the University of Navarra International Case Competition in Spain.
It encourages you to ask: what could I actually do, where could I actually be?
"I would never have been able to do this type of activity at the majority of business schools", Charlotte tells us, "and they really made a huge difference to my time on the programme.
"The consultancy competition was a massive thing for me. My confidence grew so much from doing it. We had the chance to meet industry experts and were able to tackle actual business case problems. I learnt so much from doing it.
"The School encourages you to aim high and that's the difference. I don't think you would get that elsewhere. It encourages you to ask: what could I actually do, where could I actually be?"
After completing an internship with Procter & Gamble in summer 2018 (a direct result of her Strategic Management course during her third year), Charlotte has accepted a graduate-level role with the company. Ultimately, her long-time goal is to start her own business.
"I am keen to set up a social enterprise that helps young people from the kind of area that I came from to be inspired to go to university. I would look to bring schools and businesses together. I personally feel that there is definitely an opening for large businesses to help students from quite an early age, whether it's through funding, or going into schools to give talks. This would help young people to see university as an option from a much earlier age.
"I was very lucky and my parents were very supportive and worked really hard with me but not all children have that, so I think it's down to businesses to start working with young people if they want to achieve social diversity. I believe I can be the link with schools and business to make that happen."
Femi Olowookorun, MBA
"Having graduated initially as a medical doctor in Nigeria, I have gained both clinical and healthcare management experience during my career to date, most recently in South Africa. Now with my MBA, I hope that my combined experience could lead to opportunities in government health services, NGOs, hospitals, or residential facilities, or in consulting firms that take on health-related projects, pharma care, or international organisations such as WHO.
"My MBA capstone project was on the role of leadership in the digital transformation of healthcare, and therefore I hope to break boundaries particularly in the area of digital transformation in any organisation I become involved with."
Amira Baharin, MSc Finance
"My studies in Edinburgh have taught me to work effectively with other people and the dissertation has improved my research skills. I am hoping to break the barriers in Malaysia by becoming a successful investment manager. The proportion of women in the Malaysian investment industry is significantly less than men, so it is my goal to encourage more women to join the sector."
Mousmee Shetiya, MSc Business Analytics
"Having now graduated, I am keen to utilise my business, management, analytics skills, and public relations expertise within IT as I am fascinated by the trends in the sector. I am interested in managing a business operation within an IT firm, but I see this as a few years down the line after I've further honed my skills."
"Ultimately, I hope to build a new era of business analytics in the Indian IT industry with the knowledge I have gained so far, combined with the expertise I will be taking back from working in the UK."
W Bradley Cotton, MBA
"The MBA has been transformational. Leaving policing after 28 years, it provided me with insights about myself and has enabled me to successfully transition into a new line of work. I now run a small boutique consulting firm specialising in corporate strategy, training, leadership, value measurement, and public safety.
"I hope to utilise my experience to increase awareness of social cost, facilitate communications, and train groups to work together and develop new ground-breaking paradigms to solve the current and future challenges facing organisations."
Sanjana Sharoff, MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation
"I have been an aspiring entrepreneur since high school, however an apprehension prevailed as I could see many startups fail. I therefore pursued a Bachelor's in accounting and finance, keeping finance as a backup plan, before undertaking my MSc in Edinburgh.
"I now feel more confident having explored various dimensions of entrepreneurship and have already started a new venture in the form of intrapreneurship and feel that I am on the right path towards becoming a serial entrepreneur. I hope to write the future by helping to uplift and develop my home country of India into a developed nation through my entrepreneurship."
Anna Hatos, MSc Accounting and Finance
"I am currently working for Deloitte Hungary as an Audit Analyst in Budapest. The most valuable part of my degree was the opportunity to work in culturally diverse teams and to learn which roles I am best suited to in a team. Looking to the future, I hope to bring more acceptance towards all kinds of cultures, especially non-European cultures, to my workplace and the workplaces of Budapest.
