Wilhelm Hölscher MBA

The course

Why did you choose to study at the University of Edinburgh Business School (UEBS)?

My career had moved into more strategic roles, but I felt I didn’t have the same foundation as some of my international executive colleagues. I also knew I needed a programme with real international interaction, not just a qualification on paper.

I was looking for a fully online MBA that still carried real credibility, and that’s how I found the Online MBA offered by the University of Edinburgh Business School.

What was it about the degree programme that particularly attracted you?

The combination of a globally respected qualification with a genuinely flexible, fully online format was rare. It meant I could keep working while studying alongside a diverse, international cohort, which was exactly the exposure I was looking for.

Your career

Can you tell us about your career before and after graduating?

When I started the programme, I was working in a head of business development and reporting role. Shortly after completing my studies, I moved organisations to become Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Rance Timber, a vertically integrated forestry and timber group. While my previously acquired chartered accountant qualification was a requirement for the role, having an international MBA on top of that qualification made a real difference.

How did your degree prepare you for your career?

The diversity of the programme was instrumental. Working through complex business scenarios alongside classmates from completely different countries and cultures gave me strategic context I couldn’t have built any other way.

It also taught me something about myself: that coming from a developing country doesn’t mean you have less to bring to the table. I started the MBA as the student who tried to hide from being asked questions in class and I finished it as the student who just wouldn’t stop asking questions!

The shift in my emotional intelligence acquired on the MBA has changed how I lead.

Masters of Change

What notable changes has your degree enabled you to make in your professional or personal life?

The Professional Development course had a lasting impact on me. The 360-degree feedback process was a turning point - seeing how colleagues, peers and direct reports actually experienced me, rather than how I assumed I came across, was uncomfortable at first but incredibly valuable.

It pushed me to genuinely work on active listening rather than just waiting for my turn to speak, and to pay much more attention to how decisions land with the people around me.

That shift in my emotional intelligence has changed how I lead. I listen differently now - in meetings, in negotiations, or with my team - and it's a change that's kept building well beyond the course itself.

What are the changes you have been able to make in your chosen field, of which you are most proud?

We’re still very much on a journey at Rance Timber, but stepping into the Group CFO role during a major transition was significant. I took on the role shortly after the business moved from family ownership to new equity fund shareholders - a real inflection point for the company.

The timing meant that what I was learning on the MBA became immediately relevant. The culture shift in the business has already been remarkable, and the growth strategy we’re building now is genuinely exciting.

How did your studies at the Business School help you to make those changes?

Beyond the content itself, the MBA gave me the tools, and just as importantly, the confidence to actually use them. When I stepped into the Group CFO role during a major ownership transition, I wasn’t just drawing on technical finance knowledge - I was drawing on change management, strategic leadership, negotiation, operational thinking, and trusting myself enough to apply them under pressure.

What key things that you learnt at the Business School do you still rely on today?

Principles of strategic leadership, negotiations, problem solving, and time management.

Course highlights and advice

What are your best memories on the programme?

The negotiations course stands out. I signed up as a deliberate step out of my comfort zone as I’ve never seen myself as a natural negotiator. I realise now, that I also had the wrong idea of what good negotiation even was: I thought it meant squeezing every last bit out of the other party. I was completely wrong. The course reframed it entirely and while the group negotiations were sometimes gloves off, it was always fun.

Learning strategic, results-focused negotiations is something I know will keep paying off well beyond the MBA.

What one piece of advice would you give to current students and recent graduates?

Take it one step at a time. Every part of the MBA has the potential to add real meaning to your career, but how much you get out of it is up to you. And don’t underestimate the value of the group discussions - work and life will sometimes get in the way and make it tempting to skip them, but they’re so much more meaningful with you actually in them!