Senior Manager Review

I am a senior manager at the Prudential Regulation Authority of the Bank of England. My team is responsible for the prudential supervision of a number of insurance firms operating in the UK. Aside for managing and developing my staff I am responsible for setting the supervisory strategy for our firms and ensuring that the departmental objectives are reflected within this strategy.

The MBA programme at the University of Exeter has helped me obtain a more holistic view of business and has pushed me to explore avenues for advancing my career but to also add value to the organisation from day one of the programme. The work-based assignments and projects ensure that the knowledge obtained is transferred in the workplace effectively.

I enjoy the material of the Senior Leader MBA for it is very diverse and different to my background. I am a trained engineer and thus most of my education was focused on exact science. The MBA programme with its focus on strategy, marketing, accounting and leadership provides an entire new and useful perspective on things.

The programme is well organised in six modules over two years. Two of the modules are work-based projects which help the apprentice work on project that is useful for the organisation. Each module is split into 13-weeks with online material for each week and some on-site masterclasses for which participation is mandatory.

The Bank of England has been extremely supportive in relation to this programme. I have discussed with my manager the details of this programme and have agreed to take one day a week as study day to complete the online material and work on assignments. The Bank has also been supportive in offering the necessary technology and equipment to complete the course and the administrative staff are brilliant.

The University of Exeter has been very good in supporting our training needs for the qualification. Some of the material would have been more useful early on but the requirements of the programme was still being shaped so that was rather difficult. Exeter staff have always been extremely responsive and supportive throughout this time.

My objective for this programme was to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to operate more comfortable at a strategic level and expand my footprint beyond my current role. The work-based project and the emphasis of the programme on the value of networking have made me pursue this and I feel I have achieved most of my goals at the end of the first year of the programme.

My MBA cohort has been socially active during masterclasses. Aside from that we have created a Whatsapp group that is used for various purposes, including asking questions about the programme, sharing material, being fun etc. The current situation with Covid-19 will have a significant impact on our ability to socialise given that Masterclasses are now being done online.

Yes

The Bank of England is an exceptional institution that I am proud to work for. It is a workplace that respects and develops its staff. This MBA programme is testament to the Bank's focus on becoming a more modern organisation and on embracing the current knowledge around leadership qualities.

The Bank of England is an exceptional institution that I am proud to work for. It is a workplace that respects and develops its staff. This MBA programme is testament to the Bank's focus on becoming a more modern organisation and on embracing the current knowledge around leadership qualities.