MBA Talent Book 2023 - Newcastle University Business School

Page 1

MBA Talent Book

Class of 2023

Newcastle University Business School – 01 Contents 04060810141618202224263036Creating leaders for the future The Newcastle MBA Why choose Newcastle for your MBA? Newcastle life Your leadership journey Core modules Elective modules Immersive business experiences Corporate projects Global opportunities Your career development Our MBA graduate employment Applying for our MBA 01 Newcastle University Business School Contents 02 Our MBA class of 2023 – Foreword 04 Class profile 06 Their leadership journey 08 Access our MBA talent 10 Our future leaders

Our MBA class of 2023 Foreword

“The Newcastle MBA is much more than a management programme. We take our students on a leadership journey of self-discovery and transformation, giving them an opportunity to: enhance their self-awareness; integrate and apply their learning; develop their consulting skills; and contribute to, and lead, multicultural teams. They develop the knowledge and ambition to shape both their careers and the future of an organisation; a winning combination.”

“The Newcastle University MBA programme is designed in three key phases and each phase has a particular emphasis. Phase one develops our students’ core skills. Phase two prepares the students for global business and phase three enables them to demonstrate their impact. Our MBA students also benefit from real-world interaction through a guest speaker series, competitions and industry experiences. They develop consultancy skills, learn through immersive business practice and hone their leadership skills. Students learn to think and behave differently, question established norms and search for new answers as we prepare them for navigating the future of work.”

“Students on the Newcastle University Business School MBA programme are a diverse group of experienced professionals, working together as MBA student peers. Our MBA students develop a deeper understanding of their respective global business challenges and enhance their management skills when working together in this multicultural environment. The international experience in the group is enhanced by team working on consultancy assignments throughout the year. Our students leave the MBA programme as more experienced professionals, understanding how to make a difference to business and wider societal challenges. Achieving both personal and professional transformation during the programme ensures our MBA students are fully prepared for these future challenges of leadership.”

Contents

Our MBA class of 2023 – 03 02 – Our MBA class of 2023
04060810141618202224263036Creating leaders for the future The Newcastle MBA Why choose Newcastle for your MBA? Newcastle life Your leadership journey Core modules Elective modules Immersive business experiences Corporate projects Global opportunities Your career development Our MBA graduate employment Applying for our MBA

diverse community*

Class profile

Business

Pre-MBA employment sector*

leading Triple-accredited Business School with accreditations from Top 150

7

represented in our MBA cohort countries 10 to put the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future

15 nationalities represented in our student body 1 8 1 1 5 18 1 1 3 1 Where our

7 average managerial work experience is from

years’

st

Top 150 University 6% Education and training 28% Financial services

School 2% Military 20% Sales and marketing

Class profile – 05 04 – Class profile
*rounded to nearest whole number
AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA Why choose Newcastle for your MBA?
(QS World Rankings 2020)
Education for future
Our MBA students are chosen for their depth of experience, potential contribution to our academic community, and their wealth of expertise and insight across sectors and markets. (People & Planet University League 2019)
Female Male 53% 47%
University
3 National Innovation Centres 1
for sustainability class rating
accreditations from
15 nationalities represented in our student body
7 average managerial work experience
years’ your MBA? 2% Charity 2% Manufacturing 2% Consultancy 2% Media 2% Retail
Triple-accredited 20% IT 6% Engineering 8% Healthcare
cohort

Their leadership journey

We’re creating leaders for the jobs of the future, technology that hasn’t been invented, and opportunities we don’t yet know about.

Throughout their MBA studies our students work to enhance their selfawareness; contextualise their knowledge to activities using experiential and applied learning; develop their consulting skills; and contribute to, and lead, multicultural teams.

These next generation leaders are highly adaptable, resilient to change and prepared to take on the challenges and opportunities in this changing business landscape.

Year-long development

Year-long development

Developing their skills

Preparing them for global business Demonstrating their impact

Students start their journey by developing a comprehensive understanding of business and management.

This phase prepares students for the key challenges of business in the 21st century and the changing landscape of the future of work. Students choose two electives to develop their skill set and knowledge of emerging business trends and thinking.

Students apply their MBA learning to a range of projects, enabling them to investigate and make an original contribution to issues of current concern to business.

They study:

• Accounting and Finance

• Organisations and People Management

• Projects, Programmes and Operations Management

• Marketing

• Strategic Management

• Transitions in the Global Economy

Business in Action

Working in project teams, students practise and consolidate their understanding of core business skills in a time-bound series of intensive lectures, industry visits and interactive workshops.

They study:

• Business Analysis for Decision Making

• Entrepreneurship

• Corporate Social Responsibility

And choose two electives, one from each group: Group one

• Finance and Investment

• Leading Organisational Change

• Strategic Human Resource Management

Group two

• Digital Business

• Emerging Economies: Challenges and Opportunities

• Managing for Innovation

They can also replace an elective module choice with an international elective overseas at one of our international partners.

Personal Development Experience

Students hone their leadership and team management skills in a developmental environment. Through a series of exercises, they embrace new challenges that lead to real personal growth, as they learn from constructive feedback provided by practitioners, academics and fellow students.

Boardroom Challenge

Students leverage their new knowledge and leadership skills from the Business Analysis for Decision Making module and take this opportunity to start to think like a Director.

They gain an understanding of what it means to present a thorough business case to corporate executives. It’s more than education and training. It’s about developing that language, positioning, value and confidence that makes you ‘boardroom ready’.

Management Consultancy Project

Students leverage their global perspective by working on a current client issue on a team-based consultancy project with a UK or international company. Working in close partnership, this credit-bearing consultancy experience provides real-world experience and creates value for industry partners.

Individual Project

Students apply their learning to a corporate consultancy project, an entrepreneurial business plan or a research project.

Year-long development

Year-long development

Year-long development

Year-long development

Transforming their business thinking

Running throughout the year, this module focuses on providing experiential learning that builds on students’ consulting skills, integrates their knowledge, develops their self-awareness, and enhances their personal management style.

They study:

• Personal and Professional Transformation

Throughout the programme, business professionals are invited to contribute to the teaching and learning experience. Students are invited to attend industry-led events and participate in business challenges and MBA competitions.

Their leadership journey – 07 06 – Their leadership journey 01
01
02 03
Phase One Phase Two Phase Three
01
01
01
02 03 02 03

Access our MBA talent

Every year, our influential MBA students make a significant contribution to business regionally, nationally and internationally. Our MBA programme combines world-leading research with experiential learning, enabling our MBA students to make an immediate contribution to your business or organisation during their programme or following graduation.

We have a variety of knowledge exchange activities for businesses and individuals to take advantage of that will:

• establish a working relationship with our Business School

• give you exposure as a potential employer to our MBA cohort

• increase your capacity to improve your core business or pursue a new initiative through consultancy.

Recruit our MBAs

Regular engagement with our MBA students offers you and your organisation insight into the talent our MBA programme develops. We provide our students with a programme of self-discovery that complements their in-depth industry experience, develops enhanced leadership skills and blends their academic experience with cutting-edge knowledge. It is this combination that will give your organisation the edge.

Internships

Offering an MBA internship is a great and costeffective way to increase your resource. Our MBA students have substantial work and multicultural experience, which can add value to your organisation. Gaining UK business experience is important to our MBAs and through an internship, they can do this, while providing your organisation with fresh insight on a one-off project or issue relevant to your organisation.

Consultancy projects

Each year, our students work on real-time consultancy projects to investigate strategic business challenges. You can benefit from:

• a flexible resource with the option to work with either a management consultancy team or an individual selected through a competitive process

• research-led solutions and recommendations

• fresh insight, dynamism and knowledge

There are two opportunities to utilise our consultancy offer: a team-based Management Consultancy Project or an individual Corporate Project. You will choose who you want to work with from our MBA cohort. Briefings commence in January each year with project delivery and recommendations varying depending on the option you choose.

Get in touch

If you would like to recruit one of our MBA students for your organisation, or you would like to be involved in any of the opportunities outlined, please contact our experienced Careers Consultants:

Paul Campbell

Global Careers Consultant

E: Paul.Campbell2@newcastle.ac.uk

T: 0191 208 1533

Jennifer Simpson

Global Careers Consultant

E: Jennifer.Simpson@newcastle.ac.uk

T: 0191 208 1626

Access our MBA talent– 09 08 – Access our MBA talent
Our future leaders – 11 Our future leaders Contents 04060810141618202224263036Creating leaders for the future The Newcastle MBA Why choose Newcastle for your MBA? Newcastle life Your leadership journey 01 Newcastle University Business School 10 – Our future leaders

p.ashraf2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

A self-motivated trainer with more than 12 years of experience, seeking to deliver information in a creative and challenging environment to the next generation of future leaders. A strategic expert in the field of business development, management, and market strategies. A boundary breaker with a passion for working outside comfort zones to enrich young people’s knowledge.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2005–2009 AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY, Cairo, Egypt

FT BA in Language and Literature, Faculty of Al-Alsun

Experience

2021– NATIONAL TRAINING ACADEMY, El Sheikh Zayed, Egypt Presidential Training Institute.

Deputy Director for Events and Conferences

2018–2022 EGYPTIAN CABINET OF MINISTRIES, Cairo, Egypt

Senior Political and Economic Researcher in the Prime Minister’s Technical Office for follow up

• Coordinated updates of the assignments received from the Presidency and the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) with all the ministries to provide periodic reports on the current state.

• Conducted an audit on correspondences issued before they were presented.

• Coordinated periodical “status-of-assignment” meetings with the responsible parties.

2019–2021 NATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE (NTI), El Sheikh Zayed, Egypt

Freelance Soft Skills Trainer

2010–2022 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE (ITI), El Sheikh Zayed, Egypt

A government technological training organisation.

Freelance Business English and Soft Skills Trainer

• Facilitated and delivered Business English sessions according to CEFR.

Trained college graduates on logical reasoning, attention to detail skills and creative thinking.

Career Profile

A dedicated and results-oriented Management Consultant with 8+ years’ experience creating solutions for businesses in diverse industries such as: financial services, technology, oil and gas, real estate, media, insurance, fintech, fashion and beauty. Adept in financial reporting, planning and analysis, financial management, funds management, investor relations, investment management, corporate strategy, project and events management, and advisory. A solutions provider committed to adding significant value to the wealth of various businesses.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

• Appointed: Business Ambassador

2010–2013 UNIVERSITY OF WALES, Cardiff, UK

FT BSc (Hons) Business Administration and Finance (first class)

Appointed: Class President 2010–2011

Experience

2017–2022 ARKOUNTING BUSINESS CONCEPTS, Nigeria (Consulting)

Head of Finance

• Responsible for overseeing all management and strategy consulting projects where we create financial and operational solutions for businesses across Africa.

• Led a £1M capital expansion client project that improved operating cash flow for the company, resulting in 1000% revenue growth for the first time in six years of operations.

• Developed financial and operational strategies for clients that saw an average 60% revenue growth and 30% reduction in cost.

• Preparation of management accounts and business performance reports to include trend analysis, variance analysis, product profitability and key performance indicator analysis.

• Manage a combined client investment portfolio (asset and liability) of over £107M and a risk asset portfolio of over £28M.

• Collaborate with CEO to develop and implement growth strategies for clients.

• Responsible for carrying out annual business evaluations, budgeting and periodic financial projections.

2017–2017 UK EMERGING MEDIA LTD, Cairo, Egypt

2009–2017

Operation Manager

• Created an annual plan to maintain an average growth of 7%–10%.

• Delivered monthly billing reports and invoices to the finance department.

• Quickly optimised approach with market developments for maximum profit.

2016–2017 Business Development Manager

Found new potential clients, maintained relationships and applied for new deals.

• Set up a monthly/quarterly forecast.

• Generated leads through different channels (email, SMS, call centre) and on different verticals.

2014–2016 Quality Campaign Manager

• Supported the sales teams with new product knowledge, setting up scripts and maintaining a high level of compliance.

Regular contact with clients to ensure expectations were met in quantity and quality.

• Monitored live calls to provide on-spot feedback to agents. Identified training needs or skills gaps within the teams and conducted coaching sessions.

2009–2014 After-Sales/CS Team Leader

• Handled all enquiries and complaints from customers. Verified customer details and ensured they understood all terms and conditions.

Additional Skills

Languages

Interests

Other

Arabic (native), Spanish (advanced), Korean (beginner). Swimming; drawing; tennis; handball.

Awarded: Scholarship of Presidential Leadership Program (2016–2017). Speaker: 11th UNESCO Youth Forum Member of World Youth Forum Steering Committee (2017–2022). Volunteered: Arab and African Youth Platform: (2019), Africa 2017 (COMESA, 2017), The Periodical Youth Conferences (2017–2019), ICTA 2017 – empowering people with disabilities (Cairo, 2017). Certifications: Digital Marketing (2021), Email Marketing Course (2017), E-commerce Marketing Course (2017), TOT by ITI (Information Technology Institute) (2010).

• Head the consulting team that create the finance processes used by the technology team to develop business management software(s) to include: lending module; investment module; finance module; and workflow module.

2015–2017 CREDIT DIRECT LIMITED, Nigeria

2013–2017

Senior Financial Reporting and Investor Relations Analyst

• Led internal monthly financial reporting and planning process for 25 strategic business units (SBU’s/ regional accounts), oversaw portfolios worth over £1.7M and prepared SBU budgets.

• Managed daily cash flow achieving 95% coverage ratio target.

• Monitored £21M investor portfolio, serving 25 high net-worth individuals, and communicating month-end investor reports.

• Prepared monthly management reports covering macroeconomic outlook and investment strategies used to take investment decisions at the board level.

Developed management dashboard adopted by ten internal departments to enhance business Intelligence information; utilised in management meetings for business decisions.

2013–2015 Strategy and Business Development Officer

• Drove a continuous improvement project to implement an ERP for all reporting processes, enhancing productivity by 60%.

• Part of the team that built the first lending solution for youth corps members in Nigeria (ETC). The project saw 40,000 signups within the first year of launch, exceeding its launch target by 50% and generating an average of £150,000 in its first year.

Additional Skills

Member of Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA) – Professional level (last paper in view); designed and developed a client experience process for the organisation that increased client satisfaction from 70% to 90%.

MBA students – 13 12 – MBA students
IT Skills Interests Other Microsoft Office, Dynamics NAV, QuickBooks, Xero, PowerBi. Travelling; organising events; cooking; networking.
Adetutu ADEYEMO a.adeyemo2@newcastle.ac.uk

s.c.aher2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Digital product consultant with a decade of experience managing, evaluating products and finding opportunities to maximise growth. Passion for innovation, digital product management, strategy and sustainability with strong problemsolving and prioritisation skills. Collaborative and analytical with adept business and interpersonal abilities.

Education

2022– NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2007–2011 UNIVERSITY OF PUNE, Pune, India

Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology

Experience

Teeradon APIDAJSAK t.apidajsak2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Experienced professional with over six years of experience in the logistics field. Skills include efficient coordination, problem-solving, negotiation, with experience in cost reduction. Interested in challenging strategic and operational management roles and in seeking opportunities relating to improving company efficiency.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2012–2016 THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY, Bangkok, Thailand

Bachelor of Science, Social Administration

Experience

2014–2022

2021–2022 COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, Pune, India

Sr. Associate – Projects Manager

Oversaw projects from UK, USA and Europe with wide range of businesses appropriately selling, coordinating development and launch of digital products and IT services.

Maintained roadmaps, tracking product performance to enhance the whole product experience.

• Planned, strategised and executed migration of the digital products to the next gen cloud technology, thus empowering businesses to operate without impact, with 100% uptime.

• Led and managed cross-functional teams from new product launch to product enhancements and services.

2016–2021 Technical Manager

• Prototyped, developed and launched applications by coordinating with multiple teams and enabled client to analyse service satisfactory index of 75K users. This application empowered client to increase the service quality by 40%.

Responsible for project cost estimation, project execution, team management and resource allocation.

• Oversaw requirement analysis of product specifications, enhancements and customer feedback for the development of next generation products.

2014–2016 Sr. Systems Engineer

• Identified gaps and opportunities for product enhancements to drive business growth.

• Oversaw changes in production and responsible for maintaining business continuity.

• Ensured integrity of data in line with change management processes and introducing early checks in the process.

Liaised with multiple vendors globally to ensure that business operations were not impacted.

2012–2014 BRAVES OFFSHORE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, Pune, India

Database Engineer

• Ensured data integrity was maintained and business reports were available on time to stakeholders.

• Ensured prompt deployments by streamlining the process to meet the business timeline.

• Automated the data import, update and deploy processes which increased productivity time by 60%.

• Precisely documented product knowledge articles, this increased service quality up to 30%.

2011–2012 BIZ TECHNOLOGIES, Mumbai, India

Database Consultant

• Coordinated with multiple stakeholders to deploy new database environments within business timeline.

• Worked with multiple teams for uniform transition of new acquired IT database systems.

Additional Skills

IT Skills Other Amazon AWS Cloud, Microsoft SQL Database, Jira, SQL, MS-Access, MS-Excel, Google data studio. Certifications for, Udemy: Advanced Product Management: Vision, Strategy & Metrics, SAS Certified Predictive Modeler-SAS enterprise Miner 7, ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management, MCSA: SQL 2016, AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (2020).

2017–2022 LEO – GLOBAL LOGISTICS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED, Bangkok, Thailand

Sales Coordinator and Customer Experience Support

Organised importation of E-commerce and Cargo items via air and ocean transports.

• Improved company’s profitability by introducing various new service or product offerings. Conducted site visits and recorded reviews to investigate violations of planning regulations and ordinances.

• Addressed internal supply problems by managing and mitigating risks and issues.

• Developed creative solutions to prevent delays and missed targets.

• Researched and compiled information on variety of planning issues from multiple sources, prepared thorough reports, utilised the data to prevent the same issue from reoccurring.

• Collected customer feedback and made process changes to exceed customer satisfaction goals.

• Responded to customer requests for products, services and company information.

• Continuously focused on keeping customers’ expectations a top priority during sales by going the extra mile.

• Maintained excellent working relationships with customers by continually evaluating and meeting customers’ needs.

2015– THE MAYOSTORE OFFICIAL, Bangkok, Thailand

(An online platform that sells second-hand goods.)

Brand Founder

• Achieved 14K followers within 10 months.

• Compiled data, used social media analytics, checked the competition to plan strategies and also used SMART goal strategy to define the goal of this business.

• Developed brand to attract and retain customers such as loyal customer, new customer and so on.

• Designed and took the product photo shoot for product sale.

Additional Skills

Languages

IT Skills Interests

Thai (native). Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop. Fitness; exercise; extreme sports – diving.

MBA students – 15 14 – MBA students

Career Profile

A self-motivated team leader with five years of work experience overseeing sales figures and account development. Experience working in SaaS industry with experience in CRM and Cloud Telephony. Led multiple teams to deliver best-inclass product and services with an exceptional track record for delivering business strategies and overachieving sales targets.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2014–2018 THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY, Gurgaon, India

B.Tech Computer Science

Experience

2022–2022 LEADSQUARED, Bangalore, India

Senior Associate – SMB Sales

Led a team of three to generate $200,000 revenue over four months. Responsible for new business development from companies with employee sizes less than 200.

• Handled end-to-end sales cycle from opportunity generation and product demo, to collecting payment and managing the account.

• Targeted growing industries in India such as EdTech and FinTech, qualifying the requirement and closing the business for Indian territory.

• Drafted various strategies for new lead generation including the use of Lusha, Sales Navigator, Apollo and identifying target audiences.

Sanjana ARORA

s.arora2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Competent professional, with over four years of qualitative experience in Risk Management. An agile individual with fast learning and problem-solving skills. Looking forward to great opportunities in the field of risk, compliance and regulatory projects.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2014–2017 DAULAT RAM COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI, Delhi, India

FT Bachelor of Arts (Economics) with honours

Experience

2018–2022

2019–2022

REAL TIME DATA SERVICES PVT. LTD, Gurgaon, India

Team Lead – Sales

Led a team of ten to generate $600,000 revenue/year.

• Developed comprehensive strategies such as collecting feedback every month to find upsell and crosssell opportunities.

• Ensured all the feedback collected reached the right team.

• Prospected large customers through LinkedIn, nurturing them with regular emails and reaching different POCs for regular product advancements.

• Trained new sales team members on the products and offerings and helped them with tips and tricks to succeed.

2019–2019 Solution Advisor

• Responsible for new business development from large-size firms and generated $100,000 revenue/year.

• Managed relationships with enterprise customers like Michelin Tyres, SAP, Casio India and FIITJEE worth $40,000/year.

• Built a partner network of ten channel partners across India which contributed $400,000/year.

2018–2019 Sales Engineer

• Managed relationships of SMEs and offered them solutions to improve business communication by shifting their complete customer calling solution to cloud telephony. Provided a seamless experience and generated $55,000 revenue/year.

Additional Skills

Languages

IT Skills Interests

Hindi (native). Microsoft Office, CRM, Microsoft Teams. Football; travelling; street theatre.

2017–2022

2021–2022 AMERICAN EXPRESS, Gurgaon, India

Assistant Manager (Information Security Analyst), Prevention & Resolution Issue Management Resolved technology and business-caused risk events through Corrective Action Plans for customers in 20+ markets across the globe. Have successfully remediated over 80,000 consumers with a financial impact of US $4M+.

• Worked with internal stakeholders to identify the root cause of the risk event, impacted consumer population, and developed remediation strategies.

• Collaborated with technology partners to implement robust controls to stop customer impacts caused due to technology/process failures. Designed and supervised the implementation of enhanced controls to ensure the root cause of the issue was fixed.

• Challenged the status quo by improving operational methodologies – worked with automation capabilities to implement a mechanical method to sanction screen cancelled cards before remediation. This 100% reduced the dependency on external teams.

• Recognised as Optimizer of the quarter for leading two pilot programmes to deliver innovative and efficient end products or credit bureau remediation standardisation and automation within the team.

2019–2021 Lead Business Analyst, Global Commercial Services, Operational Excellence – APAC Risk

• Developed Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) for 16 countries impacting 3,500+ colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in the smooth transition of all colleagues to a virtual environment.

• Recognised by the Vice President for showcasing resilience and effective management of business continuity plan invocation during the global pandemic.

• Was the single point of contact for Data Loss Prevention (DLP) programme queries and support. Resolved over 100 user queries and created awareness about data criticality within the business unit.

• Analysed internal risk through process scoping and risk assessment questionnaire methodologies. Developed 80+ Process Risk Self-Assessment (PRSA) mitigative controls for the APAC region and supervised the periodic testing of these controls for the APAC region.

In collaboration with vendor management experts, remediated seven non-compliant third-party contracts in Hong Kong in accordance with the compliance-approved Vendor Management Policy. Created actionable insights for pharmaceutical clients by analysing credit card spending data. With a team of five, developed product proposals to increase client expenditure on Amex products. As a result, Pfizer diversified its existing American Express product portfolio.

2017–2019 Business Analyst, Operational Excellence – Monitoring & Control Oversight

• Identified and reported sales misconduct cases based on various market regulations such as Unfair, Deceptive, Abusive Acts & Practices (UDAAP), prospect discrimination and other internal policies.

• Helped customer support teams in establishing coaching and feedback loops for client-facing teams and educated sales agents to adopt compliant sales practices.

Developed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the commercial sales self-testing team. Supported reporting teams with monthly compliance dashboards for internal audit groups.

Additional Skills

IT

Worked on basic SQL (Structured Query language) and HQL (Hibernate Query Language) queries, big data analysis, Archer, HIVE, Cornerstone, Tableau (Basics), JIRA, and NICE. Following stand-up local comedy shows, TV series and movies. Gained online certification in Business Strategies & Sustainable Enterprise. Was 2020 American Express Leadership Readiness Top Performer – graduated 1st in a cohort of 20+ professionals.

Volunteers for NGO: assisted experts in vocational training of differently abled kids, and organised a two-day kiosk to sell Diwali products.

MBA students – 17 16 – MBA students
Skills Interests Other
Nikhil ARORA n.arora2@newcastle.ac.uk

Javad ASNAASHARI

j.asnaashari2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Hands-on, self-driven, and high-calibre operational manager with 4+ years’ experience in fast-paced working environments. Always value planning and a “big picture” thinker. Uses natural flexibility, drive and courage to overcome unexpected and uncertain challenges. Level-minded and adaptable and equipped with an affable, easygoing and receptive nature. Strong influence and persuasion skills. Dynamic and task-orientated, always looking to optimise productivity and efficiency.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2014–2018 THE ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITY, SHAHR-E-QODS BRANCH, Tehran, Iran

Bachelor of Business Administration

2016–2016 ATIEH BUSINESS SCHOOL, Tehran, Iran

International Commerce

Experience

2018–2022

2019–2022

GOLESORKH CHAIN STORES, Alborz, Iran

General Administration Manager

• Managed business operations, including recruiting and effectively onboarding staff.

• Supervised five teams across five branches, with day-to-day problem-solving. Directly accountable to the CEO and board of directors.

• Responsible for entire sales operations across all five stores, including setting and successfully achieving sales targets.

Managed relationships with wholesalers including operational activity, such as sourcing of goods and goods deliveries to stores.

• Developed professional development strategies to help staff reach their potential and to help the organisation make the best use of employee strengths.

• Executed internal training programmes to optimise and harmonise organisational procedures which focused on employee training and self-growth. This resulted in higher productivity and efficiency rates as well as increased staff morale.

• Encouraged a sense of teamwork and drove staff to feel devoted. This included engaging them in the process of decision-making, therefore eliminating a sense of isolation and alienation.

• Managed HR issues such as staff disputes, workforce planning and change management.

2018–2019 Sales Manager

• Managed and supervised sales teams and successfully achieved periodic and yearly targets.

• Formulated and executed strategic plans, which included establishing products, brand positioning, brand awareness, improving brand recognition as well as staff training.

• Mentored sales staff on persuasive and negotiation techniques to maximise sales and provide a desirable shopping environment for customers. This contributed to considerably increased revenue.

• Evaluated and enhanced sales staff performance through positive reinforcement, matching personal interests, and offering constructive, thoughtful, technical yet motivational feedback.

• Established exceptional customer service delivery standards such as consistency and efficiency leading to positive customer feedback.

• Delivered corporate marketing campaigns with the aim of increasing brand awareness as well as highlighting technological advantages associated with the product portfolio which helped to grow revenue.

Additional Skills

Languages

IT Skills

Interests

Persian (native).

Competent in Excel and Word.

Team sports; badminton (play at a professional level); mentorship; solving puzzles; reading psychological and managerial books.

Career Profile

Business growth manager with eight years’ experience in developing new markets, improving brand awareness, and building strong relationships with key markets and businesses.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: Advancing Women in Leadership Scholarship (full-fee)

2009–2013 UNIVERSITY OF JOS, Plateau, Nigeria

FT BSc Business Administration (CGPA: 4.13/ 5.00)

2008 UNIVERSITY OF JOS, Plateau, Nigeria

Diploma in Business Administration (Distinction)

Experience

2021–2022 GLOBAL UNIVERSITY SYSTEM (GISMA BUSINESS SCHOOL), Lagos, Nigeria

Senior Business Development Manager (Africa)

• Responsible for the management of overseas educational projects across sub–Saharan Africa, leveraging strong collaboration with partners to increase African students at GISMA.

• Designed a business growth transformation (BGT) strategy for the African Region that grew the network of educational consultants in the region by 60% within nine months.

Drove a continuous improvement project by carrying out a periodic feedback survey from partners which increased productivity in the region from 30% to 70%. Conducted research on key markets in the region; drew up business strategies that helped deliver new student growth of 30%.

• Developed opportunities from inquiry to training, contract negotiation and onboarding of new partners.

• Strengthened relationships with over 80 partners which increased bottom line by 50%.

• Represented the company in educational events across Africa to promote the brand.

• Collaborated with higher authority and key decision-makers of several educational institutions, gave presentations on our programmes, and launched partnerships.

• Devised activation plans for partners and worked with internal team members to execute all communication activities like marketing materials, advertising etc.

• Used market feedback and personal network to develop market intelligence for formulating strategic plans for the region.

2016–2021 ADULLAM CONSULTING, Lagos, Nigeria

Business Development Manager

• Researched new markets, used LinkedIn and cold mails to prospect and prequalify new leads with a 50% conversion rate.

• Organised and presented at five conferences/fairs to increase brand awareness and reach out to potential customers for our training programme, increasing clients by 40%.

• Identified and prospected new business opportunities and partnerships, increasing revenue from an average of £10,000 per year to £40,000 per year.

• Managed and retained relationships with over 50 existing corporate clients.

• Developed and executed strategic initiatives to implement key changes and improvements in business development and sales programmes which increased average class size of our training programmes from five to 20.

2013–2016 CERTIFICATION EDGE, Lagos, Nigeria

Business Development Associate

• Boosted revenue by 30% by bringing in and cementing relationships with new clients and optimising servicing of existing customer accounts.

Additional Skills

Languages

Idoma (native), Yoruba (conversational). Salesforce, Power BI.

Travelling; music; fitness; healthy living enthusiast.

Founder of Budget Babes Fashion Store.

MBA students – 19 18 – MBA students
IT Skills Interests Other
Faith DADA f.dada2@newcastle.ac.uk

Ganesh GUPTA

g.v.gupta2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

An engineer with over three years’ experience in mechanical design and detail engineering of static equipment. Possesses strong statistical, analytical and problem-solving skills, along with managerial skills acquired via a diverse range of professional experience. Eager to become a successful global industry leader by exploring and learning different career challenges.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2015–2019 DON BOSCO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Mumbai, India

FT BE Mechanical (7.99/ 10)

• Awarded: India Bulls Foundation Scholarship (full-fee)

• Awarded: Second Prize in the Annual Project Exhibition

• Position held: Training and Placement Coordinator

• Member: Organising committee of annual project exhibition (Innovex 2019)

Experience

2019–2022 WORLEY (Previously Jacobs Engineering), Mumbai, India

Leading global provider of professional services in the energy, chemicals and resources sectors across 46 countries.

Mechanical Design Engineer

• Collaborated with stakeholders and clients to understand project scope and deliverables, resulting in ongoing improvement with 5–10% reductions in rework.

• Coordinated with other engineering disciplines to check the interface of respective discipline with mechanical and solved any engineering or modelling error by arranging meetings along with Project Managers and Team Leads.

• Led a team of designers for 100% efficient modelling of the equipment that was presented to the client for review along with other disciplines.

• Worked as a requisition/lead engineer for specific equipment group, understood the client requirements and worked with vendors to get the documents ready with 100% efficiency while meeting project deadlines.

Worked alongside digital acceleration team for idea sorting and generating idea note. Helped create automation bots while understating the ideas submitted by engineers all over India.

• Worked with Engineering Managers to keep a track of all-round development of the graduates who were recruited under the graduate development plan.

Graduate Engineer Trainee

• Conducted training with several departments to get a better grasp of project‘s end-to-end processes and kept a check for automation bot utilisation in projects resulting in savings of around 50–60%.

• Assisted Team Lead and Project Manager for resource estimation of the project which helps in budgeting the projection at the feed stage.

• Coordinated with Project Engineers to keep track of different logs which in turn increased the efficiency and ensured 100% completion of the project task.

Leadership and Volunteering Activities

• Corporate social responsibility (CSR) Network Champion, giving regular floor talks on social and safety issues. Executive Member of Graduate Connect Committee – India Region (Attract Workstream). Helped in recruiting graduates from campus and retaining best talents in the industry.

Led Giga plex Help Desk Committee for orientation and onboarding of 120+ Graduate Trainees in 2020–21 across India.

• Member of Covid-19-Take 5 for Safety global initiative to spread awareness among all employees.

• Volunteered and managed Covid-19 vaccination drive and Blood Donation Camp.

2018–2018 RASHTRIYA CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS LIMITED (RCF), Mumbai, India

RCF Ltd is an Indian public sector undertaking which produces chemicals and fertilisers. RCF is the fourth largest producer of fertilisers in India.

Internship training in Mechanical Maintenance Practices in Steam Generation Plant

Additional Skills

Languages

IT Skills Interests

Hindi (native), Marathi (fluent).

SQL, AutoCAD, NAVISWORK, Solidworks, PV Elite, CREO (Certification Done), ZYNQ360, ANSYS (Certification Done), Smart Plant P&ID, SMART PLANT REVIEW.

Event management; volunteering for various social activities organised by NGOs; trekking; cricket.

Yatin

y.gupta2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Marketing entrepreneur administering budgets, revenue generation, staff training and monitoring procedures to maximise efficiency and balance objectives with operational requirements. Director with experience in operational planning, human resources, financial advocacy, community relations and risk management. Diligent founder maintaining seamless business operations presently holding directorship in profitable start-ups based in India and UAE.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2013–2016 SHRI VENKATESHWARA UNIVERSITY, Gajraula, India

FT Bachelor of Technology – Mechanical Engineering

Experience

2018– XSQUAD MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, PUNE (INDIA) – IT and ITES Company

Co-Founder and CEO

Managing an international marketing consultancy portfolio with clients in FinTech, Hospitality, Real Estate and EdTech.

• Accelerate revenue generation for sister company brands, including Digitise India, Ray Global Trade, and Frame Architects.

• Liaised with a high volume of businesses to assess, design and develop new marketing and advertising solutions for the US and UAE market and grew online sales 15% (average) by optimising online marketing budget allocation.

• Engaged in strategic planning activities and translating strategy into operational plans and ensured adherence to company standard operating procedures (SOPs), privacy laws, regulations, and highquality standards.

• Directed hiring and training of new department managers to drive organisational improvements. Led strategic development of go-to-market strategies, including brand positioning, creative direction, promotion, sales and channel enablement for leading brands.

Directed social media and digital marketing strategy and initiatives to promote brand building and guest retention.

• Designed and deployed 50+ website and applications with dynamic navigation scheme, AI & ML based content and educated users on correctly interpreting financial, statistical and qualitative data.

2017– FRAME LEARNING SOLUTIONS LLP, PUNE (INDIA) – Education Technology Company

Co-Founder and Managing Director

• Spearheaded public relations and promoted organisational profile by delivering 50+ seminars/ workshops across universities in Maharashtra, writing articles and presenting at industry conferences as the organisation’s public face.

Developed and curated 7+ franchisees of FrameCADD in and around Pune (India) throughout 2020. Hired and motivated 40-member team to achieve INR30M+ in revenue in a two-month period. Awarded Start-up India company in 2018, which helps in saving company taxes for next three years.

2016–2017 MAYEKAWA INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED GURGAON (INDIA) – Japan-based RAC company

Sales Executive

• Delivered premier line of business by building client confidence and trust, managing site conversions, delivering performance reviews, accomplishing launch goals and exceeding client expectations.

• Gained multinational clients including Cooling people, Amul, Haldiram’s for the company.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills Interests

Other

Hindi (native).

Web Designing, 3D Modelling, Video Animation, Digital Marketing, Graphic Designing, Digital Analytics, Lead Generation.

Business Development, Sales and Marketing, Executive and Cross-functional Leadership, Industry Partnerships and Strategic Planning, Social Media Marketing, Client Relationship Management, Brand Awareness, Revenue Maximisation.

MBA students – 21 20 – MBA students
Google Digital Marketing Certification (2020), Start Up India Certification (2018), Autodesk Professional (2018), Member of Micro & Small Business Association, PTC ATC Owner (2019), Autodesk ATC Owner (2022). GUPTA

Zhongkai

z.jin10@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

20 years of experience in television media, focusing on news commentary, commercial video production and event planning. Chief news reporter, national-level host, chief producer of large-scale video projects, manager of news gathering and editing team of more than 30 people.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2016–2016 FU DAN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM, Shanghai, China

International News Review

1999–2003 GANSU UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LAW, Lanzhou, China

FT Bachelor’s Degree in Law (85.10/100)

Experience

2021–2022 CHONGQING INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION CENTER, Chongqing, China

Deputy Editor-in-chief

• Planning major theme reports in Chongqing for an average of 20 news stories produced each day.

• Responsible for the studio project of Chongqing International Communication Center (120 square metres of large integrated TV studio).

• Organised and planned New Year Live interview activities in Chongqing and Sydney, which included direct contact with the City of Sydney to interview the Lord Mayor of Sydney. Received Management Talent of the Year Award, recognising management of 35-strong editorial team.

2016–2021 CHONGQING SATELLITE TV (CQTV), Chongqing, China

Producer and Anchorman

• Independently created the successful Chongqing Interview programme.

• Interviewed over 50 leading figures from various fields at home and abroad, including politics, economy and culture, including British Ambassador to China, Wilson Carolina, famous Chinese entrepreneurs, Wang Shi and Dong Mingzhu.

• Participated in the creation of two of the top five most-watched TV programmes in Chongqing: Driving According to the Rules and Safety First.

Host of large-scale activities of Chongqing Municipal Government, including hosting the opening ceremony of the Smart China Expo.

2007–2016 THE PRESS CENTER OF CHONGQING BROADCASTING GROUP, Chongqing, China

Chief Correspondent

• Collected and reported current political news in Chongqing.

• Participated in the report of national and international conferences in China, such as Two Sessions in Beijing and Shanghai World Expo.

• Visited the Republic of Korea as a representative at “Outstanding Journalist” award.

• Outstanding Journalist for three years in a row, which is only awarded to five out of 800 journalists a year.

2003–2007 CQTV MEDIA CO LTD, Chongqing, China General Manager Assistant

• Assisted the general manager with the daily management of company affairs.

• Participated in the organisation of Chongqing International Fight Challenge.

• Assisted with the establishment of the cooperative relationship between CQTV Fashion Channel and GDTV Sports Channel.

• Participated in the preparation of Chongqing Culture and Sports Co Ltd.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Mandarin (native).

Final Cut Pro, Pr (editing software).

Video shooting and editing; bodybuilding; reading; travelling; public speaking.

Awarded for Best News of the Year contest, Chongqing Journalists Association (2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021). Committee Member of the 3rd Chongqing Youth Federation (2016). Outstanding Youth Representative in Chongqing (2012). Certifications for Announcer and Anchor-person.

Career Profile

IT Practitioner with over 15+ years of Management IT Consulting Experience operating in a complex and integrated team environment. Expertise in managing successful medium to large IT enterprise programmes/projects. Experience includes ERP, MDM, manufacturing software and integration to ERP, Programme and Project Management, Data Centre Migration, Digital and Innovation consulting, MIS Reporting, Inventory and System Controls. Managed successful implementations and integrations between Oracles, SAP other Tier 2, Tier 3 ERPs and External Manufacturing systems. Expertise in ERP Advisory and Health checks, IT General Controls Audit, Internal Audit. Motivated and diligent professional with excellent leadership and team management skills.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship 2022

• Awarded: Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarships 2022

2001–2005 GURU GOVIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY, Delhi, India

FT BTech (Computer Science Engineering)

Experience

2018–2022 ELITE Group, Ras Al Khaima, United Arab Emirates

Group IT Manager

• Managing the complete IT operations [ERP, Infrastructure and IT Security] for the group of companies in UAE, India, Bahrain and Oman. Successfully managed team of 30 members. Centralised of ERP in all group companies to increasing productivity and reduction of manpower, as result the ROI is estimated to come within five years.

• Development of Manufacturing External System, Web Portals for online tracking and implementation of IOT and Machine learning solution to improve productivity and reduce manpower by one quarter and department centralisation to reduce manpower cost by 50% and improving productivity.

2016–2018 AL GHURAIR GROUP, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

ERP Project Manager

• IT Project Management for 15 companies in a group, involved in large-scale business transformations including end-to-end ERP implementations and business processes reengineering engagements for SAP and Oracle ERPs to reduce manpower cost and development of MIS. Managed a team of approximately 35 members.

2015–2016 HCL TECHNOLOGIES, Gurgaon, India

Lead Consultant (Client: Expedia, USA)

Development of payment process systems to make payment for hotels across the world on a daily basis. Managed project and day-to-day support as well as introduced new enhancement activities for hotel reservations system. Managed a team of 22 team members. Interacted with the business users and helped them in their day-to-day work routine.

2012–2015 DELOITTE CONSULTING, Gurgaon, India

Consultant, IT Consulting (Clients: National Oilwell Varco, Grant Prideco, Niagara Bottling LLC, Canon Inc, Red HAT)

• Managed different global customers in implementation/upgrade/roll- outs of Oracle Applications. Successfully managed team of 50 members.

2010–2012 COMPUTER SCIENCE COOPERATION (CSC), Noida, India

Senior Engineer, IT Consulting (Client: Dun & Bradstreet)

• Oracle ERP Techno-Functional consultant implementation for US and UK spanning three roll-outs.

2006–2010 MAHINDRA SATYAM, Hyderabad, India

Software Engineer, IT Consulting, (Clients: General Electric (GE), CISCO, Thomson Reuters, GlaxoSmithKline, Royal Bank of Scotland, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America)

• Worked on support/enchantment/implementation projects for global clients.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills Interests Other

Hindi (native).

ERP, Leadership, Data Analytics, Oracle Application, SAP, PL SQL, Jira, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio. Cooperate social work; community development; driving; networking; sports; travelling.

Oracle E-Business Suite R12.1 Receivables (1Z0-518), General Ledger (1Z0-516), Oracle Certified Associate [OCA].

MBA students – 23 22 – MBA students
JIN
Tarun
t.jindal2@newcastle.ac.uk
JINDAL

a.kappagantu2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Dedicated and results-oriented professional with electrical and electronics engineering background and a diverse experience of 2.5 years in IT and 3.5 years in banking. Effectively handled large and diverse credit portfolios and adept in managing branch operations. Capable of working in a team and open to challenging organisational roles in a future career.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2012–2016 GITAM UNIVERSITY, Visakhapatnam, India

FT Bachelor of Technology – Electrical and Electronics Engineering (CGPA: 8.92)

Experience

2019–2022

2021–2022

STATE BANK OF INDIA, Visakhapatnam, India

Deputy Manager

Managing large credit and deposit portfolios, recovery management and risk management.

Successfully achieved business growth by increasing credit portfolio from INR 430 crores to INR 562 crores in 12 months by March 2022.

• Effective and expeditious handling of banking operations, coordinating with various branches and managing a variety of banking operations including supervision of subordinate staff.

• Carrying out inspections as a part of the pre-sanction process prior to the disbursement of loans to small and medium enterprises, as well as during the post-sanction stage to ensure satisfactory functioning of the unit and tallying the inventory with the stock statements submitted by the units at regular intervals.

• Efficiently handled a risk-focused internal audit and credit audit of the branch. Achieved an audit score of 808 during the financial year 2021–22 as compared to 708 during the financial year 2020–21.

2019–2021 Probationary Officer (Assistant Manager)

• Maintained healthy relationships with customers and resolved their service-related issues, ensured customer satisfaction by achieving delivery and service quality norms.

• Evaluated potential customers’ creditworthiness, prepared documentation for processing new loans, maintained detailed records of loans and monitored loan repayments periodically.

• Successfully marketed the digital banking app of the bank “YONO SBI” to the people of rural and semiurban areas and conducted workshops in those areas.

• Gained sound knowledge of Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCPDC 600), SWIFT messages, processing of letters of credit and bank guarantees.

Career Profile

Two years of professional experience as a tax accountant at Deloitte Tohmatsu Tax Co, with extensive knowledge of accounting and taxation. Five years’ experience at Taiheiyo Cement Corp, Japan’s leading cement manufacturing company, including 2+ years’ experience in management accounting and 2+ years’ experience in management of subsidiaries.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2011–2015 HITOTSUBASHI UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan

BA in Commerce and Management (GPA 3.29/4.00)

Experience

2020–2022 DELOITTE TOHMATSU TAX CO, Tokyo, Japan

Associate, Business Tax Services

Prepared tax returns for 20+ clients per year, eg corporate tax, consumption tax, and property tax for domestic companies and foreign-owned subsidiaries in Japan.

Performed tax due diligence for clients considering mergers or acquisitions.

• Analysed client business tax risks, including transfer pricing and advising on risk reduction.

• Provided guidance and support for the company’s new starters on accounting procedures and technical issues.

2015–2020 2017–2020

TAIHEIYO CEMENT CORP, Tokyo, Japan

(Japan’s largest cement manufacturing company, founded 140 years ago.)

Financial Analyst, Business Planning and Administration Department, Tokyo, Japan

Responsible for administration of the subsidiary with capital of US$30M that operates port transportation.

• Conducted financial analysis and reported to managing director monthly and quarterly.

Examined and analysed business plans created by the subsidiary from the perspective of group management and indicated revisions if necessary.

• Represented the company in an annual one-year multinational leadership training programme, called “WBCSD Leadership Program”, which is hosted by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Took part in the programme with representatives from different companies from 10+ countries.

2015–2017 Accountant, Accounting Department, Kamiiso Plant, Hokkaido, Japan

Responsible for management accounting for Kamiiso plant which is the largest cement plant in Eastern Japan with a production capacity of 3.9 million tonnes per annum.

• Conducted financial close and budget variance analysis on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis.

2016–2018

2017–2018 WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES, Hyderabad, India

Associate Consultant – SAP Basis

• Monitoring, support, and administration of the SAP systems across the Landscape.

• Ensured the systems were safe and relevant by executing software updates and upgrades regularly.

• Worked closely with development teams to assist in designing the infrastructure and environment for new SAP implementation.

2016–2017 Project Engineer

Daily technical management of SAP systems and underlying database to make sure the SAP systems remained active and prepared daily health-check reports. Scheduled background jobs; maintained RFC connections; managed users and troubleshooting issues.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills Interests

Other

Telugu (native), Hindi (fluent). Microsoft Excel and Word, SQL. Solving puzzles; cooking; playing cricket.

Junior Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (JAIIB) by the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance; Certificate in Foreign Exchange Operations by the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance; Certificate in Commercial Credit by Moody’s Analytics; Certified Microsoft Office Specialist Associate – Office 2019; Certificate of “Introduction to ESG” by Corporate Finance Institute; Certificate of “Introduction to Sustainable Finance” by United Nations Climate Change Learning Partnership (UNCC: Learn).

• Performed fixed asset accounting for 50+ investment projects per year, working with the engineering department.

• Coordinated internal or external auditors and the accounting department of the Kamiiso plant.

• Delivered training for new joiners on accounting work procedures and tools.

Additional Skills

Language

Interests Other

Japanese (native).

Snowboarding; swimming; watching baseball games; playing piano; singing.

Certifications for tax accountant exam: Corporate Tax (2020), Bookkeeping (2019) and Financial Accounting (2019). Volunteer for University Co-Op (2012–2014): Participated in volunteer activity for reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

MBA students – 25 24 – MBA students
Aasrit KAPPAGANTU
Midori KAWAI m.kawai2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Experienced professional with over seven years of working experience in the digital transformation of businesses to improve their existing business processes. Expertise lies in: (1) product management of solutions such as customer relationship management (CRM) and business process management (BPM) beginning from ideation to implementation of the product; (2) system delivery life cycle (SDLC) and agile project management; (3) business analysis, consulting and solution designing of IT solutions including web portal and mobile applications; and (4) operations and risk management of business processes, for BFSI and utility sectors. Proficient in serving customers from the UK, Canada, Nordics, Australia, Japan, India, and the USA. Onsite opportunity – Canada and Sweden for consulting projects.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship

2014–2015 ARMY INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, Kolkata, India

FT Master Business Administration in Marketing and Systems

2008–2011 ST. XAVIER’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), Kolkata, India

FT BSc in Computer Science

Experience

2021–2022 CAPGEMINI TECHNOLOGIES INDIA PVT LIMITED, Mumbai, India

Senior Consultant (Role: Senior Manager)

Experience in advising and designing IT solutions for a leading credit card company in the region –Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Successfully delivered a project for ‘customer address sync up’ from government registry to client’s database for two million customers in coordination with vendor partner – the Dun & Bradstreet team.

• Experience in business requirement gathering, solution endorsing and getting approval for proposed solutions from a 30-member committee of product owners, senior managers and senior solution architects.

• Responsible for project management, timeline estimation, resource allocation, Kanban board management, requirement backlog management in Jira, and confluence project page management, conducting team-building events for 149 members.

• Experience in hiring and training associate consultants, reviewing team performance, and work allocation.

2019–2021 NEWGEN SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES, Mumbai, India

Senior Business Analyst (Role: Manager)

Successfully upgraded server migration project (INR 15M) for a bank of 148 processes within nine months.

• Transformed corporate loan process to a digital platform for the third largest private sector bank in India.

• Responsible for reporting project status to senior leaders – Chief Technical Officer, Assistant Vice President and General Manager.

• Experience in responding to requests for information (RFI) and coordinating with the marketing team for product marketing.

• Accountable for gathering business requirements and developing web and mobile applications.

2015–2019 TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES, Mumbai/Bengaluru, India

Business Process Lead (Role: Assistant Manager)

Accountable for visioning long-term and short-term goals for CRM solutions and strategising their market position.

• Responsible for product management of account receivable collections and customer service applications.

• Experience in leading an operations team of 25 members and improving customer satisfaction score (CSAT) from 67% to 98% for a Japanese financial service company.

• Responsible for escalation raised post application deployment and resolving within the given turnaround time (TAT), to ensure 100% service level agreement (SLA) compliant as per the statement of work (SOW).

• Managed monthly billing, allocated resources, and conducted the monthly budget review with the customer.

• Responsible for RCSA operational risk assessment process to identify current risks in the process.

• Experienced in working as a business analyst for the development of both web and mobile-based applications.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills Interests

Other

Hindi (proficient), Bengali (proficient), Chinese (Hakka) (Intermediate). Visio, Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Project, MySQL, ARIS (process mapping), Tableau. Origami; travelling.

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, Certified SAFe® 5 Practitioner, and certification in agile thinking.

Career Profile

Five years as an experienced professional and entrepreneur. Managing director of a pharmaceutical company focused on new strategies and expanding business through various channels with an expertise in auditing. Looking for new challenges in which both my skills and special talents can enable organisations to reach their fullest potential.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK FT MBA Programme

2013–2017 KASETSART UNIVERSITY, Bangkok, Thailand

Bachelor of Accounting – Faculty of Business Administration

Experience

2017–2020–

PHARMAMED, Bangkok, Thailand

Managing Director

Increased sales channel from a store to eight e-commerce platforms which led to an increase in revenue of 300%.

• Planned strategies for each quarter including: budget planning; cashflow management; change management, especially during the pandemic; stock planning; and marketing strategy planning which led to an increased number of customers, revenue and recognition.

• Automated the company’s manual operation system, which resulted in better data management, enabled the set-up of a customer loyalty programme and earned 50% repeat customers.

• Planned promotion and advertising strategies to parallel with trends which frequently tripled the daily revenue on the day of the campaign, for example, monthly campaigns, double digits day campaigns.

2021–2021 Professional Accounting Service Co Ltd (PAS) – Consulting Advisory Service, Bangkok, Thailand (Project Base)

Change Management Consultant

• Identified the change and impact of implementing SAP Hana; informed and recommended the effective methods to improve the workflow, which led to increased productivity.

2017–2020 EY Office Limited, Bangkok, Thailand

Senior Auditor

• Worked in several industries including: manufacturing industry; global logistics company; international full-service advertising agency; pharmaceutical trading; construction engineering industry to do all audit-related work including planning, analysing as well as supervising team and coordinating with client at both managerial and operation level.

• In charge of team to perform financial audits including financial statements review, internal control assessment, substantive works, corroborative interviews, reporting, and client relationship management. Issued client’s financial statement and recommended solutions to improve their internal process.

• Developed and evaluated audit procedures by working with team members and made determinations regarding process improvement for IPO; successfully listed within less than two years, which raised more than 40 billion Baht.

• Prepared, analysed and assessed reliability of clients’ financial statements by identifying financial strengths and weaknesses, allowing clients to effectively forecast the sales and revenue for the quarter.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Thai (native), Hindi (fair).

Microsoft, Visio, Photoshop, SAP, Accounting Software. Yoga; pilates; fitness; concerts.

Accounting standard, IFRS, TFRS.

MBA students – 27 26 – MBA students
LEE
Dolly
d.lee12@newcastle.ac.uk
Priya MALOTRA p.malotra2@newcastle.ac.uk

Mavjuda MUBORAKSHOEVA

m.muborakshoeva2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

A proven history in improving company performance. Successfully worked across multiple roles, in different markets, that focused on company budget and/or managing company’s operations. Open to exploring future roles specifically in the financial consultancy sector and international development.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2010–2011 GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY, New Delhi, India

MSc HR Planning and Development

1996–2001 KHOROG STATE UNIVERSITY, Khorog, Tajikistan Specialist Degree, International Economic Relations

Experience

2022– NORTH EAST SOLIDARITY TEACHING – NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

• Providing support to locally based refugees in a voluntary capacity.

2019–2022 FORESHORE ESTATE HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, Kingston, Jamaica

Providing support with the project in a voluntary capacity, low-income earners residential community.

2018–2022 WORLD HOMES JAMAICA LTD, Kingston, Jamaica

Real Estate Developer

Financial Controller (Company Secretary)

Activities associated with the bank transactions, visiting banks, completing business transactions, and maintaining the bank accounts.

• Dealt with external stakeholder regarding financing the project or resolving related issues.

Assisted the company’s lawyer to resolve when problems occurred regarding ongoing projects. Payroll, taxes and HR duties.

• Attended meetings and prepared reports and presentations for executives and board members.

• Analysed and prepared annual budgets to contain project costs; partnered with auditors to prepare yearly audits; and ensured compliance with governmental tax guidelines.

2012–2018 POLYFOODS/RINGO LIMITED, Kingston, Jamaica

Accounts Executive

Trained new employees on accounting principles and company procedures.

• Set up the accounting system ‘Great Plains’ to maximise the effectiveness of operations. Approved journals including payroll and posting in the system.

• Managed the complete accounting cycle, preparing documents, finalising monthly reports and closing books.

• Cost management (resource planning, estimation, budgeting and control) and intercompany reconciliation.

• Assisted the Financial Manager with auditing monthly and annual operations of the accounts department.

• Cooperated with senior leaders to create operating budgets, initiating financial planning.

2004–2010 PLAZMA TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Accountant Assistant

• Assisted in the production of month-end management accounts, bank reconciliation, payroll and tax filing.

• Streamlined daily reporting information entry for efficient record-keeping purposes. Bank transactions and supervised operational department. Communicated with clients regarding payments, and updated detailed and accurate ledger.

2001–2004 POST OFFICE, GBAO, Tajikistan

Accountant/HR

• Maintained the books and updated employee files.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Russian (fluent), Tajik (fluent), Pamir (fluent), Farsi, (advanced). QuickBooks, Peachtree, Sage 50, Bizpay, TurboPay, Master Tec.

Chess; visiting community centres to support the refugees/schoolchildren etc.

Career Profile

14+ years’ experience in the financial services sector with a focus on business development, negotiation, strategy and execution, project management, fintech start-ups, sales and corporate change management. Adept in developing and executing business growth strategies, project and programme management, and driving business expansion and profitability. Possesses excellent personnel management skills in the leadership and collaboration of multifunctional teams that translate organisational goals into tangible deliverables.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2001–2004 MADONNA UNIVERSITY, Okija Anambra State, Nigeria

FT BSc Economics (2:1)

Experience

2021–2022 STERLING BANK, Head Office, Marina, Lagos, Nigeria Manager, Café One

• Developed and executed the growth strategy for Café One, a digital experience centre that infuses banking with building interest-based communities centred around its users.

• Delivered a 100% growth in deposit, asset base, customer acquisition and revenue above projected target in one year.

• Developed and executed the framework for ten interest-based pilot communities in Café One with over 2,500 members onboarded to the digital products and channels.

• Conceptualised and coordinated a quarterly CSR project through Café One games community, raising over N2M to fund the education of young chess players in Makoko floating slums in Lagos.

• Designed, built and delivered four new Café One Shops in 12 months, with a 100% increase in customer acquisition, footfalls and digital products onboarding. Managed and administered a budget of over N200M for the physical expansion of Café One across major cities in Nigeria.

2020–2021 ZENITH BANK, Warehouse Road, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria Business Relationship Manager

• Managed the financial portfolio of five major multinationals in the region and grew the total liability, asset and profitability of the region by 70%.

• Achieved 60% growth in regional branch profit by successfully negotiating and executing best rates for all trade transactions for top five multinationals in the region.

• Achieved 60% customer acquisition and retention of affiliate companies and businesses of the top five multinationals by providing financial assets to solve business expansion and financial needs.

2004–2020 2013–2020

ZENITH BANK, Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria Team Lead, Client Relationship Management

• Exceeded set target on all KPIs with a total liability of N1.5BN for two consecutive times.

• Generated 60% of the branch’s total liability target of 4 billion.

2004–2011 Head, Customer Service Unit

• Increased the Customer Satisfaction Index of the branch to 85%.

Additional Skills

Interests Other Writing; reading; motivating team; travelling.

Member of Society for Human Resource Management, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management

Nigeria. Professional Affiliation of Women in Management, Business and Public Service, Nigerian Institute of Management. Volunteer: Lead Volunteer, The Trendy Mother Project – a social enterprise focused on empowering working women with resources to succeed in the workplace and life.

MBA students – 29 28 – MBA students
NKANTA roseline.nkanta@newcastle.ac.uk
Roseline

Career Profile

An adept Change Manager and Organisation Development Advisor with a demonstrated record of managing business changes and transition projects, whilst realising initiative adoption and returns. A career background that cuts through resistance management, project and programme management, business analysis and service measurement, service training and coaching, storytelling and creative writing, customer service and sales functions across the finance, IT and sales industries.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2007–2011 UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, Lagos, Nigeria

FT Bachelor of Science Mass Communication

Experience

Career Profile

Experienced HR professional with a demonstrated history of delivering value at different levels of a business. Adept in people operations and management; strategic HR management; organisational design; culture and change management; talent acquisition; technical recruitment; learning and development; compensation and benefit management; and other core areas in management. Passionate about helping businesses succeed by having the right culture and people.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2009–2015 LADOKE AKINTOLA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FT BTech Computer Science and Engineering

Experience

2016–2022

2019–2022 STERLING BANK PLC, Lagos, Nigeria

Change Manager and Organisation Development Advisor

Created and implemented change management and transformation strategies for the organisation, minimising resistance and maximising employee adoption and transition thereby realising initiative goals.

• Attained an adoption rate of over 95% for the utilisation of Microsoft Office 365 work tools to enhance performance, and a seamless remote work transition in the advent of the nationwide pandemic lockdown.

• Championed and achieved 54% reduction in paper usage.

• Completed the 100% transition and adoption of a digital power solution tool in all 17 regions in the bank.

• Drove the revamp campaign for the Conduct and Compliance (CC) division that stirred a shift from the old perception of Police Officers to the desired state of Collaborators and Business Partners. This led to a 261% improvement in the Internal Net Promoter Score from 8 in H1 2019 to 30 in H1 2020.

• Managed the Change Ambassadors social space used to drive and influence change in Sterling Bank from 2019–2021.

2018–2019 Service Measurement and Analytics Officer

• Drove a service reorientation bank-wide through the Net Promoter System to enhance customer loyalty, improve employee performance and engrain a customer-centric culture in the organisation. This caused a positive leap in the Net promoter score of -5 to 24 within a year.

• Executed customers’ recommendations for innovation on the bank’s digital money transfer application –Sterling One Bank. It included: In-app surveys; Anti-theft password; and Display of the daily live Nigerian stock exchange rates.

• Implemented feedback received from customers which birthed product innovation and increased customer usage by 40% for the bank’s investment application used for Treasury bills, Eurobonds and fixed deposits.

• Partnered with the Learning and Development team to conduct service training for 1,200 employees.

2016–2017 Lead, Inbound team – Contact Centre

• Managed a team of consultants who responded to customer inquiries, complaints and requests via telephone calls, social media and live-chat interactions.

• Trained and coached internal agents on call handling and complaint resolution, which led to an incline in the first contact resolution rate by 40%.

2013–2015 AMBION WIRELESS LTD, Lagos, Nigeria

Head of Customer Service and Sales

• Oversaw a team that was responsible for field sales, telemarketing and customer support functions.

Additional Skills

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Microsoft Office 365 Adoption Specialist.

Blogging; creative writing; coaching; public speaking and presentations; food preparation and tasting; soul and afro pop music; badminton; boardgames; epic fantasy drama; cartoons.

Volunteered in girl child and charity initiatives in my community and previous workplace.

Started a food catering business which generated a revenue of £10,000 (GBP) in the first year of launch.

2021–2022 BUYPOWER.NG, Abuja, Nigeria

Largest utility payment provider in Nigeria.

People/Human Resources Lead

• Provided strategic support to the business and leaders for the series A project of over US$7M.

• Displayed strong and professional thought leadership, strategic direction on talent management, learning, career, and leadership development across the organisation which led to active participation from the founders.

• Oversaw training and development for all the team leads which resulted in clearer strategy and better alignment with the company vision. This resulted in an overall strategic objective achievement of 83% in the business year.

• Ensured business partnering with the leadership team to identify strategic and operational HR needs such as workforce planning, talent development, diversity and inclusion. Translated these needs into action plans to be delivered.

• Managed payroll and statutory payments for over 200 staff and implemented a new remuneration/ compensation plan for the company. It covered all statutory payments and benefits in kind, short-term incentives and variable pay, and reduced attrition to 7% in the year.

Managed the recruitment processes for all new hires, closed roles within short periods, and designed a fully robust onboarding system for the company, bringing time to fill to an all-time low of three weeks.

• Designed performance management structures, HR policies, employee engagement strategies and comprehensive onboarding plans.

2016–2021

2018–2021

INSIGHT PUBLICIS, Lagos, Nigeria

A member of the Publicis Groupe.

Senior HR Executive

Co-developed a group-wide workforce plan aligned with the year’s strategic plans.

• Documented competency job profiles, detailing proficiency levels for specific grade levels, job roles across the group and implementation of the career management model. This included Job Groups, Generic and Technical Competencies, Career Ladder for all job roles.

• Designed data gathering templates, tracking, analysis and reporting of people metrics.

• Initiated a blended learning and development system to ensure the development of staff in five key areas: technical, managerial, leadership, behavioural, and innovation skills.

• Managed talent acquisition, recruitment and selection processes procedures.

2016–2018 HR Executive

Coordinated inductions and onboarding for new employees.

Planned and executed learning and development activities for the company.

Responsible for generating key reports to support HR managers to identify and address diversity, talent reviews, employee relations and other HR data/metrics.

• Built a more efficient way of HR record-keeping.

Additional Skills

Spanish (conversational), Yoruba (fluent).

Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, WordPress, Trello, SAGE, Expensify, Slack, Notion, SQL. Travelling; reading; culinary experiences; volunteering; analytics; podcasts.

Certifications for Designing the Organization (2022), Diversity, Inclusion and Learning (2021), Advanced Excel and PowerPoint (2018), Leadership and Emotional Intelligence (2017).

Volunteering: The Cactus Africa; Slum 2 School Africa; Socially Africa (Art for a Cause).

Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management 2020.

30 – MBA students
MBA students – 31
Kikelomo OJOLOWO k.ojolowo2@newcastle.ac.uk
IT Skills Interests Other
Language
Oyindamola OLORUNDIPE o.olorundipe2@newcastle.ac.uk

Kehinde

k.olutola2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

An astute IT manager with 14 years of experience in business-technology alignment, cloud infrastructure design, leading large-scale changes, and process automation across life science, financial, legal and hospitality industries. Highly structural and analytical problem solver keen on system and process optimisation.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2015–2017 GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY, San Francisco, USA

FT Master’s Degree, Information Technology Management

• Chair, Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Club

1999–2005 LADOKE AKINTOLA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Ogbomosho, Nigeria

FT BTech, Applied Physics

Experience

2021–2022 SELF-EMPLOYED, San Jose, USA

Information Technology Consultant

• Developed a technology solution for small businesses to cut down about 40% of their annual technology expenses and achieve over 100% measurable process efficiency within the first year.

2019–2021

2020–2021

PLIANCY, San Francisco, USA (Silicon valley’s top-3 IT consulting firm.)

Managing Consultant

• Developed and coached a top-performing, cross-functional consulting team of eight that became a benchmark for efficiency and value creation within the organisation; thus enabling the organisation to reach its $10M revenue goal.

• Worked with C-suite and management executives to drive large-scale transformational changes such as strategy development, operational improvements and process automation. Supervised 10+ digitisation projects in 18 months.

2019–2020 Senior IT Consultant

• Led an overhaul of IT infrastructure servicing 2,000+ clients within life sciences and VC industries to maximise productivity, workflow processes and pipeline visibility, resulting in over 40% increase in client retention rate.

• Facilitated, within first three months in the role, the discussion that led to the deployment of an enterprise ticketing and reporting application which reduced overall issue resolution time by 25% and provided a basis for understanding clients and solving recurring technology issues.

2017–2019

2018–2019

EDGAR LAW GROUP LLP, San Jose, USA (Law firm with six practice areas and over 300 clients.)

IT Manager

• Deployed technology solutions to improve organisation-wide efficiency and business agility, which raised annual revenue by over 50% to US$300K.

2017–2017 IT Specialist (Master’s degree internship)

• Conducted a business-technology gap analysis which identified the organisation’s pain point and recommended a course of action to bridge the gaps.

2013–2015 LAGOS DEEP OFFSHORE LOGISTICS (LADOL), Lagos, Nigeria

Senior System/Network Engineer

2010–2013 LANDMARK AFRICA, Lagos, Nigeria

Information Technology Team Lead

2008–2010 UNITYKAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria

Head Infrastructure Design and Maintenance

Additional Skills

IT Skills Interests

Other

Azure, GCP, AWS, scripting, project management, networking, security, helpdesk. Music; movies; road trips.

Microsoft Cert–MCP, MCSA; CompTIA Cert – CompTIA+, CompTIA Network+; QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor; ITIL foundation (V3).

Career Profile

Accomplished business manager and leader with 5+ years’ experience leading and increasing growth in small and medium businesses. Proven success in business start-up; team leadership; strategy; business development; sales; and marketing. Looking to grow a career in a technology organisation.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2016 OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

FT BSc Microbiology (Second Class Hons)

Experience

2022– ADVENTUM HOLIDAYS, Ibadan, Nigeria

Growing tourism company specialising in inbound tourism into Nigeria.

Manager

Built partnerships with over 20 foreign tour companies, mainly in North America and Europe, to facilitate their tourism operations in Nigeria in the first three months of operation.

• Organised, planned and coordinated tourism activities for over 20 first-time tourists to Nigeria in the first six months of operation.

2018–2022 ELITE DIGITAL SERVICES, Ibadan, Nigeria

Software firm specialising in web development and digital marketing activities.

Team Leader

• Grew and managed a fledgling web design and digital marketing company that served over 100 clients in the first three years of operation, growing the team to 15 staff by the third year of operation.

Led the team that implemented successful SEO campaigns for over 20 clients, with clients experiencing increased organic traffic in a range between 20%–40%.

• Managed a team of ten to develop and execute social media campaigns for over 15 clients, with clients experiencing revenue growth between 25%–50%.

• Oversaw the design, development and promotion of over 50 websites for clients that resulted in increased revenue, improved brand awareness and public relations.

• Developed intensive, ambitious business strategies and short-term and long-term objectives that led to growth and organisation expansion.

2015–2017

2016–2017

RIVERSIDE BEVERAGES AND FOODS LTD, Osogbo, Nigeria

Logistics and Supply Chain Officer

Devised and implemented short-term and long-term plans, optimising supply chain management and improving value related to annual expenditures.

• Managed production levels, identified material shortages and monitored inventory levels to meet order delivery requirements.

• Managed distribution network, including logistics, trade compliance and warehouse management.

• Identified and filled gaps in the supply chain which helped to reduce production lag time by six hours.

2015–2015 Supply Chain Trainee

Worked with the team lead to implement short-term and long-term plans to optimise supply chain management.

Worked with the team lead to manage production level and identify material shortage.

Additional Skills

Language IT Skills Interests

Other

Yoruba (native). HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript, jQuery PHP.

Football.

Volunteer for Ambitious Galaxy of Talents (AMBIGATA) (2016 – present): Head of a committee of five that raised scholarship funding for 30 indigent students in the last three years. Worked in a team to organise debates, seminars and symposium for high school students. Over 200 students reported that these activities improved them academically.

32 – MBA students
OLUTOLA
MBA students – 33
v.oluwaleke2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Programme Manager with experience in providing end-to-end implementation of new and continuous improvement projects. Significant experience in liaising between business and technical areas to achieve on-time, on-budget and on-spec project completion.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

• Appointed: Business Ambassador

2006–2010 VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, Belagavi, India

FT Bachelor of Engineering in Information Sciences

Experience

2016–2022

2021–2022

BOSCH GLOBAL SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES/RBEI, Bangalore, India

Architect

Maintained, drove, supervised and executed strong standards, systems and processes.

• Participated in various events for customer evaluations and analysed client’s requirements.

• Used high-level expertise and knowledge to influence strategies and decisions.

• Good understanding of Agile methodology, Scrum and SAFe.

• Analysed software implementation procedures and aided as needed.

• Created a chatbot with Tensflow.

• Designed microservice architecture for IOT web applications.

• Created technical and non-technical documents such as Arc42, FMEA, Threat Analysis, and Risk Assessment.

Weiping PENG w.peng7@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

A Finance Manager in a multinational listed company for 10 years, leading and participating in the company’s IPO procedures. Familiar with accounting standards, relevant financial tax, audit regulations and standards, SAP systems about industry companies. A finance supervisor in listed foreign companies for several years with a good command of English. More than 10 years’ working experiences in financial team building and financial analysis and writing.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

1993–1997 WUHAN UNIVERSITY, Wuhan, China

FT Bachelor’s in Financial Planning

Experience

2010–2020 AUTEL TECH, Shenzhen, China

Finance Manager

• Prepared and reported the company’s financial reports and analysis to senior managers. Responsible for the company’s cost management, tax planning and implementation. Provided tax data and materials required by the external units.

• Managed the finance department, guidance, training and evaluation of department employees, as well as the KPI evaluation of the subordinates.

• Communicated with the securities company, accounting firm and law firm.

• Led and participated in the IPO project schedule; organised HR, administration, sales, procurements, R&D, Factories to cooperate with financial department to complete the project by various forms of communication.

2018–2021

Associate Project Manager

Gathered and documented functional and non-functional requirements, as well as wireframes.

• Practical experience with microservice architecture and cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure.

• Created applications and RESTful APIs with Java, Spring Boot, ReactJS and Typescript.

• Designed and built database objects in MSSQL and MongoDB, such as indexes, procedures and partitions.

• Participated in production support and resolved production flaws.

2016–2018 Senior Engineer

• Used Java, Spring Boot, Spring Security, JPA and Junit to build RESTful services. Supported team members in terms of technology and requirements.

2012–2016

2013–2016

HAPPIEST MINDS TECHNOLOGIES, Bangalore, India

Senior Software Engineer

• Created front-end responsive applications with Angular, JavaScript, Bootstrap, HTML5 and CSS3.

• Kept track of other project statuses and the Jira bug status.

• Participated in the issue analysis and impact analysis for other application areas.

2012–2013 Software Engineer

Created end-to-end modules, including online payment module (PayPal and GoogleWallet).

• Functional improvements and bug fixes for the Mule Soft ESB API Layer.

2011–2012 JULY SYSTEMS, Bangalore, India

Member of Project Management and Delivery

• Creation of business login, user interface, online payment (Atom and Pay U) and security modules.

• Participated in the analysis of critical issues and Livestreaming issues.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Other

Telugu (native), Kannada (native), Hindi (fluent).

Agile methodology, Scrum, SAFe, Microsoft Office, JIRA, Cloud computing platforms (AWS and Azure), Microservices architecture, IOT Application, Java8+, Spring Framework Module (SpringBoot, Security, Batch), UI Frameworks (ReactJS, Angular), Database Tools (MySQL, MSSQL, Postgress and MongoDB).

Certifications for Certified SAFe® 5 Practitioner (2021), RBEI-Nipun: Machine Learning Certified from Simplilearn (2021), Oracle Certified Java Programmer from Oracle Java Certification Java (2011). Awarded for Bosch

Global Software Technologies / RBEI (2016, 2017, and 2020), Happiest Minds Spot Award (2013 and 2015).

• Integrated and analysed financial data and industrial and commercial, tax, environmental protection, and others.

• Later Role: Audit Manager: Responsible for the preparation and operation of the audit department. Achievements: annual sales volume increased from 30 million in 2010 to 1 billion Yuan RMB in 2019, employees increased from more than 100 people in 2010 to more than 1,000 people in 2019; business continued to develop from North America to Europe, South America, Africa, and Oceania, established subsidiaries around the world, and finally successfully listed in February 2020, the market value is about 30 billion Yuan RMB.

• Purpose: application of becoming a national high-tech enterprise and established a special R&D company.

• Participated in the establishment of a special R&D company in 2014. The company enjoyed the tax preference of two exemptions and three reductions.

• Led the financial team to successfully apply for national high-tech enterprises in 2011, the R&D expenses could be deducted, and the corporate income tax rate was reduced from 25% to 15%.

• Realised the application of SAP system for all departments to use by replacing the separated systems, leading to more convenient and accurate extraction and analysis of financial data.

• Executed project audit of purchasing and sales department, reduced the costs. Audited the sales price in ERP system to strictly complied with the internal control.

2006–2010 FLEXTRONICS R&D (SHENZHEN) CO LTD, Shenzhen, China

GL Supervisor

• Double checked daily accounting documents and settled monthly ending closing. Cooperated with colleagues from India, Singapore and Malaysia for accounting and statements processing.

1997–2006 HYPERCOM ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURING (SHENZHEN) CO LTD, Shenzhen, China

General Ledger Accountant

Prepared for the journal vouchers and reported to the Financial Supervisor.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Chinese (native), Japanese (conversational).

MS Office, SAP system.

Travelling; landscape photography; playing piano; reading. Accountant (intermediate).

MBA students – 35 34 – MBA students

Career Profile

Strategic consultant with a passion for performance optimisation and creating innovative solutions to challenges that contribute to sustainable impact on organisation and society. A proven record for high-level performance with leadership capabilities enhancement through a talent development programme in Southeast Asia. Well-rounded business expertise including: market research; business development; project management; business consultancy; and marketing and branding across financial services, telecommunication and automobile industry.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

• Appointed: Business Ambassador

2012–2016 FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY, Hanoi, Vietnam

FT BA in Economics (International Business) (GPA: 8.16/10)

Experience

2019–2022 NIELSENIQ, Hanoi, Vietnam Research Manager, Consumer Insights

• Led a team of six research executives and trainees providing consumer research studies across industries such as banking, insurance and FinTech as well as others. Directly managed eight strategic clients in the financial sector with an annual value of US$1.3M.

• Proposed appropriate approaches to meet clients’ research needs and developed proposals that met the client’s business questions. Served and managed more than 30 clients. In 2021, won eight new clients with total contract value of US$300K.

• Supervised and managed internal and external stakeholders to ensure consistent communication and flawless delivery for market research projects. Directly worked with various types of research including consumer segmentation, market incident, brand health, customer/employee experience and consumer usage and attitude study in both qualitative and quantitative research. Drew meaningful insights from mass data and translated into business improvement initiatives in reports and presentations for clients.

Selected as a member of NielsenIQ Southeast Asia Talent 2021 programme: participated in an accelerated 12-month development programme for future global leaders at NielsenIQ across Asia Pacific, focusing on leveraging leadership and managerial skills.

• Selected as a member of NielsenIQ Junior Executive Committee Finance Vertical team: a group of 18 young experts across eight Asian countries to leverage knowledge and consult solutions to clients.

• NielsenIQ Executive Committee Excellence Award (2022), Member of NielsenIQ Southeast Asia Talent 2021 program (2021), Nielsen Individual Simply Excellent Award (2021), Nielsen Team Gold Award (2019).

2016–2019 GENERAL MOTORS VIETNAM (GMV), Hanoi, Vietnam Senior Brand Representative

Oversaw, developed and executed an integrated marketing plan for one of two key carlines of GMV (sedan and pick-up truck) with total annual budget of US$400K in 2018.

• Led nationwide test-drive series for pick-up truck, exceeded 128% KPI in test-drive customers and 120% KPI in sales volume.

• Led and executed marketing plan of four carlines and retail campaigns with budget of US$45K and US$200K in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

• Worked alongside the project leader supporting market research, media plan and activation for a marketing campaign for pick-up trucks, resulting triple sales volume and increasing market share in Vietnam to second position from fifth position the previous year.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Vietnamese (native).

Microsoft Office, Saleforce, SAP.

Blogging; travelling; reading; coaching and mentoring.

Coaching and training for NielsenIQ Case Competition (2020–2021), Plato Brand Academy (2021–present), The Building Blocks for Business Community (2021–present). Volunteers for professional guest speaker, coach and judge for student case competition (2019–2021), Hanoikids English Voluntary club (2013–2017), FTU-Forum Student Organization (2012–2014).

Archishman

Career Profile

An experienced and enthusiastic professional with considerable management experience in various disciplines of business, including but not limited to sales and marketing, HR, supply chain management, finance, and operations. Varied skillset with expertise in sales and product strategy, process workflow and automation, advanced systems generation, and complex problem-solving. Management experience of 8+ years in the vacuum metallising industry, with skilful proficiency in achieving new milestones in business growth and development.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Appointed: President of Student Voice Committee (MBA programme)

2011–2014 MAYA ACADEMY OF ADVANCED CINEMATICS, Delhi, India (Affiliated to IGNOU National University)

Bachelor of Arts in 3D Animation and Visual Effects

Experience

2014–2022 SUPERVAC INDUSTRIES LLP, New Delhi, India

(Asia’s largest manufacturer of vacuum pump oils and consumables.)

Senior General Manager

• Generated international sales worth $1.5M in the years 2020 and 2021.

• Increased sales by 35% by leading a team of 25+ people and managing the complete process until order fulfilment.

• Facilitated 100+ deals in both domestic and international markets, in more than 20 countries.

• Drafted quarterly strategic reports based on past performance indices and future forecasts, making recommendations based on timely assessments on market conditions (such as by visiting industryrelevant trade and technology fairs).

• Automated the systems and back-end operations of the company to run on autopilot with minimal human intervention.

• Created a Management Information System (MIS) at each level of the organisation and defined clear key result areas by means of a weekly reporting system. This boosted efficiency and workplace performance by 50%.

• Drafted a research-based Flowchart Monitoring System (FMS) by defining clear workflow processes and guidelines in each process of the value chain.

• Enhanced smooth workflow of overall back-end operations by up to 25% by creating flowcharts, the FMS system, defining clear workflow pipelines and facilitating employee learning by means of training videos and programs.

• Increased manufacturing efficiency by more than 17% by implementing productivity-based techniques such as first in-first out and full kitting (index of availability of raw materials prior to commencement of production pipeline) in certain components of the manufacturing system.

• Optimised inventory holding periods by 15% by introducing inventory control measures and capping finished goods production quantities based on highest levels of production and distribution efficiency.

• Boosted logistical productivity from 72% to 88.5% by analysing each part of the supply chain and removing bottlenecks, from the factory to the customer warehouse.

• Facilitated efficient supply chain workflow by optimising vendors and negotiating contracts based on highest level of productivity.

• Enhanced customer satisfaction indices by more than 25% (based on customer feedback and company testimonials received in 2020 and 2021).

• Achieved 37% higher levels of employee satisfaction and retainment by implementing MIS, providing video-based technical training, defining workflow escalation processes and drafting transparent performance indices of team members at various strategic levels.

Additional Skills

Language

Hindi (fluent), Punjabi (conversational), currently learning German.

Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and After Effects; Autodesk Maya, 3DS Max (complex video editing and 3D animation skills used to create training videos to explain highly technical information in video format).

Drummer – Western rock music; martial arts (Jeet Kune Do); video creation and editing.

‘Fit for Partnership with Germany’ accreditation awarded by German Govt. (GIZ and Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy); ‘Master of Business’ accreditation awarded by Business Coaching India; a business mastery program, ‘Master of Technology in Business’ awarded by TNSPL India; a technology in business program, ‘Adobe Certified Associate’ accreditation awarded by Adobe Systems Inc.; Silver medal (Martial Arts) at the 14th Delhi State Jeet Kune Do Championship.

36 – MBA students
Thanh Thao PHAM
MBA students – 37
t.t.pham2@newcastle.ac.uk
IT Skills Interests Other
PUNJ a.punj2@newcastle.ac.uk

Halima RAJI

h.raji2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Project management professional with experience in project development, directing multiple projects and grants management. An ability to work in diverse teams while aligning and tracking project assignments to key objectives and deliverables. An aptitude for effectively liaising with various programme stakeholders, facilitating and communicating work plans, and organising documentation for executive meetings.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2020– LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE, London, UK

DL MSc in Public Health in view, (Ongoing)

2003–2004 FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Minna, Nigeria

FT MTech in Architecture

1998 –2003 FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Minna, Nigeria

FT BTech in Architecture

Experience

Career Profile

Two years’ experience of running a business and skilled at Crisis Management. Seasoned business development strategist, sales and marketing expert, relationship management specialist with 4.5 years’ experience of achieving deliverables in varied roles in the business. Continually seeking opportunities to harness technology and emerging trends to boost market impacts and deliver value.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2021–2022 INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (ISB), Hyderabad, India

Online Product Management Programme

Experience

2020– KAJAY REMEDIES PVT LTD, Mumbai, India

Head of New Business & Operations

• Successfully managed two consecutive crises, the first following an accident in January 2020 leading to closure for two months. The second was leading the company through the COVID-19 lockdowns and subsequent restrictions.

2018–2022

Program Officer, Grants Management Unit

2019–2022 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, MGIC, Nigeria

• Managed a US$7M CDC grant for two years and conducted periodic budget reviews and revisions while supporting teams in the preparation of monthly and annual budgets.

• Developed and tracked project budgets and implementation of work plans.

• Provided technical assistance to support the implementation of projects amongst relevant stakeholders.

• Developed procurement plans in collaboration with procurement teams.

• Prepared progress reports, lessons and innovations, and other reports for internal and external communication with a real-time dashboard using Smartsheet.

• Analysed spending patterns in previous years to predict spending for future years to assist in readjusting and reorganising budgets in the event of overspending.

Provided compliance oversight to donors’/funders’ guidelines and the University of Maryland’s policies.

Developed narratives for new award proposals and continuing applications.

Served as a liaison between the organisation and external stakeholders.

2018–2019 Data Associate (Team Lead, National AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) 2018)

A Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) funded by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

• Team leader for eight real-time data monitors in the Northeast and Northwest regions.

• Facilitated capacity-building exercises for 65 field staff on the use of the Census and Survey Processing System (CSPRO) for data collection.

Ensured adherence to the NAIIS protocol.

Participated in drafting and reviewing the NAIIS Technical Report.

2015–2016 SUPARCELL ARCHITECTS, Durumi Abuja, Nigeria Architect

• Initiated and managed construction projects.

• Supervised building construction for private residential projects.

• Participated in contract negotiations.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Ebira (native), Hausa (conversational). AutoCAD, SmartSheet.

Taekwondo: 1st Dan black belt; zumba; travelling; reading fiction.

Training in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (2021), Neurolinguistics Programming (2021), Project Management in Global Health (2020), Leadership and Management in Health (2019). Certificate for Project Management Professional (PMP) (2022), Member of Project Management Institute (PMI) (2021), Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) (2017), and Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) (2017). Organisational Awards for going above and beyond the call of duty (2021), Excellence in discharging duties (2021).

• Brand Custodian of the Patented Product – Formiphen and also managed a portfolio of B2B products –Specialty Chemicals, Pharmaceutical Intermediates, and Agro-Chemicals.

• Ran the business Like a Lieutenant during the COVID-19 Outbreak – increased market penetration and increased market acquisition, portfolio clientele, entered new markets, increased sales, oversaw operations and accounts.

• Year 2 – Opportunity Identification – analysed the market potential and formulated a plan for 4-Aminophenol and pushed the board for production. It is now the second highest selling product, increased company’s overall sales by 30%, increased revenue for the company by 33% =US$800K.

• Managed to grow our retainer client’s portfolio from nine clients to 38 clients (400% increase). In the first year, the sales grew from US$1.2M to US$1.9M, an increase of 58.3%. In the second year, the sales grew from US$1.9M to US$3.8M – increased by 100%. Profit margins over the course of two years have increased by 8.5% year on year.

2018–2020 2019–2020 SCHBANG DIGITAL SOLUTION, Mumbai, India

Business Development

• Successfully signed various clients on board including Porsche India, L’Oréal, Kotak 811 (Banking), ITC Fiamma (FMCG), Saffola – Marico (FMCG), Sanofi, Hotstar (OTT), UTI Bank, Reliance Jio (Telecommunications) and many more.

• Worked closely with all departments and strategised revenue generation.

2018–2019 A.R. Filter Department

• Incepted and established the Augmented Reality Department (AR) for the company solely (from Coding to Finished Output). Key clients converted for this – Baskin Robbins, Protein X (Health and Fitness), Schbang (Marketing), Barbie (Mattle Inc).

Solution Strategist

• Worked on creation, strategising execution of campaign ideas and daily social media activity. Clients serviced and managed include Baskin Robbins India (360), Fevikwik and Fevicol (Pidilite), Syska (Grooming), Fazlani Foods (Food).

• Created and executed Baskin Robbins’ Summer Campaign (main campaign of the year).

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills Interests

English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujrati.

Website design, Microsoft 360, Basic coding, Spark AR Technology, Basic Photoshop, ERP Software Design Process, Gaming.

Sports: football, cricket; music and movies; road trips travel; astronomy and the universe; adventure sports.

38 – MBA students
MBA students – 39
Sankalp SABOO s.a.saboo2@newcastle.ac.uk

Prajna

Career Profile

Motivated, experienced medical research consultant with a passion for evidence-based medicine, health policy development and implementation management. Strategic thinker, adept at identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation while critically appraising the potential value for patients, service providers and other major stakeholders. A consummate professional, committed to driving change in health services provision and in the business of healthcare. A naturally empowering communicator with over 60 high-quality medical publications. An exceptional collaborator with excellent team building, project/programme management, performance management and leadership skills.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2013–2015 KING’S COLLEGE LONDON, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, London, UK

FT Master of Public Health

2009–2013 UNIVERSITY OF DERBY, SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, Derby, UK

FT BSc in Psychology (Hons)

Experience

2019–

FREELANCE

Medical Research Consultant (China wide)

• Undertake both short-term and long-term projects to address the needs of stakeholders. Conduct surveys and interviews to collect the required data to inform decision-makers. Collect data using primary research methods or extracted from secondary sources to generate evidence-based decisions and to identify gaps in current professional practice.

• Provide advice for personnel affected by change and regarding the implementation of new biotechnologies.

2019–

Reviewer

• The Journal of Biomedical Research (Managing Editor), Journal of International Medical Research, Cancer Research Journal, International Journal of Medical Research and Health Sciences, and Frontiers.

2016–2021 PEKING UNION MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITAL, Beijing, China

Medical Research Consultant

• Reviewed clinical research protocols and study plans.

Supported specialists throughout the conducting phase to ensure protocols were followed. Communicated and negotiated with research teams, the ethics committee and with the China Medical Board. Wrote and edited reports for stakeholders and for publication.

• Presented findings to medical audiences and more specifically to medical decision-makers.

2016–2020 CHINESE ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, Beijing, China

Senior Lecturer in Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Communications

• Led and managed a team of 10+ members, communicated job expectations and provided direction, support and motivation to the team to meet agreed targets and KPIs.

• Responsible for designing, developing and delivering a complex problem-based and project-based double module to over 350 doctoral researchers each semester.

Programme involved lecturing groups of between 80–120 doctoral researchers. Programme also involved teaching smaller groups and tutoring.

• Negotiated discrete lectures for various departments across the affiliated hospital.

2017–2020 BEIJING HOSPITAL, DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY, Beijing, China

Researcher and Medical Writer

• Led and managed a team of 10+ members, provided direction, support and motivation to meet targets and KPIs. Designed projects to answer questions using appropriate research method.

• Critically assessed, analysed, and interpreted primary or secondary data.

• Wrote clinical protocols, investigator’s brochures, informed consent forms, questionnaires, and efficacy summaries. Presented evidence to specialty audiences at international conferences. Project management and mentored junior medical researchers.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Awards

Chinese (conversational), Dutch (fluent), French (conversational), Egyptian-Arabic (conversational). Advanced Diploma in Excel, SPSS (intermediate), SAS (Learner).

Travel; food connoisseur; language/culture learning; anthropology; competitive tennis; table tennis; cricket. Newcastle University Business School (Responsible Impact, full scholarship), Boren Hospital Researcher Award (2021), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Distinguished Scholar Award (2020), Excellence in Research Award, Outstanding Teaching Award (Peking Union Medical College).

Career Profile

A technical sales professional with 5+ years of experience in the analytical industry. Experienced in working in various roles, including field sales, lead management and product specialist. Equipped with a deep understanding of business processes and sales skills. Excellent communicator with exceptional negotiation skills, strong problem-solving abilities, and a keen ability to assess client needs. A strong technical background has resulted in an advantage when working with various organisations.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2015–2017 RAMNARAIN RUIA COLLEGE MUMBAI UNIVERSITY, Mumbai, India

FT MSc in Analytical Chemistry (80.41%)

2012–2015 K.C COLLEGE MUMBAI UNIVERSITY, Mumbai, India

FT BSc in Chemistry (85.75%)

Experience

2019–2022 WATERS CORPORATION, Bangalore, India

Product Specialist – Inside Sales

• Responsible for increasing market share at existing accounts and initiating new business relationships.

• Achieved business growth of 42% in 2021 for the assigned territory against the annual budget.

Responsible for driving focus product and new product growth through various marketing initiatives. Followed sales operations and took corrective measures to improve functional quality. Responsible for preparing territory reports and supporting the regional team in their business development initiative.

• Nurtured prospective customers by marketing mailers and desired information regularly (App notes, etc). Followed up on leads generated via digital initiatives.

• Collaborated with cross-functional/other vertical teams for customer queries and supported generating other product centre leads to ensure alignment with organisation objectives.

• Engaged in feedback surveys and developed action plans to address customers’ complaints.

2017–2019

2018–2019

THERMOFISHER SCIENTIFIC, Mumbai, India

Lead Management Specialist

Generated leads by prospecting new customers via calls and emails. Collected and maintained databases on customer relationship management systems (CRM) by gathering information through a variety of sources (websites, events, roadshows, digital e-commerce platforms).

• Worked with the sales team to ensure 100% of sales-qualified leads were followed up/updated in the system.

• Monitored the performance of sales team members to ensure efficiency in the process by delivering weekly updates, performance reports and expected revenue reports to higher executives.

• Led validation and funnelling quality leads from sources such as websites, India mar, campaigns, and promotional events on Salesforce dot com (SFDC).

• Coordinated with internal teams and cross-functional divisions for cross-selling opportunities with existing customers and collected data relevant to the market segments for data analytics.

2017–2018 Business Specialist

• Responsible for achieving territory budget and conducting technical training and roadshows at customer sites.

• Maintained consistent communication and follow-ups with clients and channel partners for the business growth and customer experience. Collected feedback from customers after events and service campaigns.

• Supported the campaign initiatives and implemented them with cross-team collaboration.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests Other

Tulu (native), Hindi, (advanced), Marathi (advanced).

CRM software (Salesforce, SAP, and Avaya), Microsoft Excel.

Travelling; playing badminton; listening to music; dancing.

40 – MBA students
Sam SEERY s.seery3@newcastle.ac.uk MBA students – 41
Certifications for Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by Google. Workshop Microwave given by LABINDIA analytical Private Ltd. Visited Shimadzu Analytical Pvt Ltd for Chromatography and Mass spectrometry technical introduction on instruments, Certified Inside Sales Professional by American Association (AA-ISP). Internship at RCF in 2014. SHETTY p.m.shetty2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

An accomplished military veteran with 20+ years of versatile and multifaceted experience in the Indian army, including senior leadership roles as Colonel. Exceptional skills in strategic and tactical planning; decision-making; conceptualising plans; execution of operations; streamlining processes; implementing competitive strategies; and training and development. Outstanding team building and people management skills with a flair for creating a culture of professional excellence and smooth governance.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2019–2020 PANJAB UNIVERSITY, Chandigarh, India

Diploma in Disaster Management and Corporate Security

2011–2012 MADRAS UNIVERSITY, Chennai, India

Master’s in Defence and Strategic Studies

2011–2011 UNIVERSITY OF PUNE, Pune, India

Advanced Diploma in Weapon Systems

Experience

2020–2022 INDIAN ARMY, Jammu, India

Deputy Commander of an Artillery Brigade and Chief Garrison Security Officer (Colonel)

• Created an efficient architecture of security of military garrisons spanning over 100km.

• Programme Manager for major infrastructure projects, accommodation and allied facilities.

• Enhanced profit of veteran’s canteen by 11% and energy conservation by 6%.

• Enhanced quality of life of personnel and families and reforms at Army Schools.

2018–2020 INDIAN ARMY, Chandigarh, India

Senior Operations Advisor at Theatre Command Headquarters (Colonel)

Principal Advisory role to Apex Body of Organisation on strategic analysis and options generation, operational evaluation and audits, cyber security and media dealings.

2015–2018 INDIAN ARMY, Sikkim, India

Commanding Officer of an Operationally Deployed Battalion (Colonel)

• Responsible for 800 technical workers and military assets worth US$500M.

• Executed end-to-end strategic operations with critical and sensitive decision-making and HR management. Achieved 90% combat efficiency of outfit in an extremely challenging, inhospitable terrain in the face of adversary on an active international border while preserving 100% combat power.

2012–2014 INDIAN ARMY, Central Himalayan Regions, India

Chief Operations Officer of an Operationally Deployed Infantry Brigade (Lt Colonel/Major)

• Played a key role in planning and conduct of joint training exercises with United States Army.

• Led the joint operations of disaster relief with multi-government agencies in Himalayan regions.

2011–2012 INDIAN ARMY, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, India

Selected amongst a highly competitive vacancy to train Officers on Strategy and Operations (Major)

2008–2010 INDIAN ARMY, Army War College, MHOW, India

Training Specialist to Junior Level Officers on Artillery (Major)

2006–2008 INDIAN ARMY, Jalandhar, India

Company Commander (Major)

2000–2006 INDIAN ARMY, Kashmir, India

Executive Operations Officer (Capt.), Leadership Development and Training Officer (Lieutenant)

Additional Skills

Career Profile

Enthusiastic, attentive and dedicated quality assurance specialist with 3+ years of experience in trust and safety operations. Passionate about cross-functional team collaboration, effective work processes and smooth project launch to help TikTok’s Trust and Safety team grow whilst safeguarding the community.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2013–2018 KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY (KKU), Khon Kaen, Thailand

FT Bachelor of Arts in English (GPA 3.71/4.00)

Experience

2019–2022

2022–2022

TIKTOK TECHNOLOGIES LTD (BYTEDANCE), Bangkok, Thailand

Quality Specialist (QA) Team Leader – Cambodia and Laos market

Supported a team of seven quality specialists for Laos market and ten for Cambodia market on performance and wellbeing.

2021–2022 Quality Specialist (QA) Team Leader – General market

• Supported a team of eight quality specialists on performance and wellbeing.

• Managed day-to-day activities including work amount allocation and monthly shift plan.

• Conducted performance review, scorecard and coaching to develop team productivity and efficiency.

• Ensured robust communication process between team and other staff within the area and cross-team.

• Partnered with Global QA, Process and Workflow teams to ensure smooth projects launch in the APAC.

• Supported APAC QA team as a Technical POC handling queue creation and appeal configuration. Coordinated with Dublin QA team on workload and work process handover for SSA Market POC. Supported the team activities as an APAC QA Wiki Editor and All-hands Coordinator.

2020–2021 QA Market Point of Contact – General and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) market

• Handled multinational short video content and conducted data analysis, feedback and weekly report.

• Coordinated between QA team, Moderation, Content Operation, Product, Policy, Training and BPO team.

• Cascaded policy and supported both QA team and moderation team on policy understanding.

• Delivered policy training for 11 new joiners within the team and set up work amount allocation for the team. Supported recruitment team on interview process for 70+ candidates.

2019–2020 Content Quality Assurance Specialist (QA) – General market

• Monitored quality of multinational short video content to ensure safe community for product users.

• Worked on data analysis, feedback and weekly quality inspection report.

2018–2019 ACCENTURE SOLUTIONS SDN BHD, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (under contract of Manpower Staffing Services Sdn Bhd)

Subject Matter Expert for Thai Transcription Project

Supported a team of 25 agents on policy and language knowledge to maintain team performance. Supported as a backup for QA on quality assurance tasks and policy calibration sessions.

• Supported as a backup for the Team Lead on team attendance and individual performance coaching.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Thai (native), Laotian (conversational), Chinese (beginner).

Adobe Photoshop.

Theatre: performer for two stage plays at university and co-director for one stage play. Completed 10-hour project management course from Learnit; volunteered for NUS BP Mentoring Club, Clean Plate Campaign, and Soap for Hope Campaign.

Language

Other Hindi (native).

Certificate of Business Management IIM Lucknow (2022), PMP from PM I (2022), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from KPMG (2021), Supply Chain Management (Rutgers Business School Coursera) (2021), Scrum Masters International Scrum institute (2021) Microsoft Specialist, Microsoft (2022).

42 – MBA students
MBA students – 43
Nuttakarn SINGTONGLA n.singtongla2@newcastle.ac.uk

Manasvini

Career Profile

A creative professional who is a quick learner with 6+ years of experience in business development and international marketing. Eager to learn and grow professionally, a hard worker who thrives in challenging situations.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

2008–2011 PUNE UNIVERSITY, Pune, India

FT Bachelor of Commerce

Experience

2016–2022 VERIFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES INC, Pune, India

Business Development Lead

Led and managed a team of 10+ members, communicating job expectations and providing direction, support and motivation to the team to meet agreed targets and KPIs.

Worked closely with the COO and Co-Founder to develop and implement the sales and marketing strategy for US, EU, Canadian and Australian markets.

• Closed sales of $200,000+ for ACCUPLACER placement exams. Brought in clients such as the University of Leicester (UK) account worth $100,000, and Loyola University Chicago worth $150,000. Other recruited clients include Humber College, Queen’s University and Carnegie Mellon University.

• Developed strategies for social media marketing across all digital platforms including the creation of content, infographics, social media planning, videos, etc.

• Designed marketing campaigns, newsletters, case studies and high-level overviews.

• Worked closely with the SEO team on paid advertising (Google, Facebook, Instagram) and Google Analytics.

• Built a new account-based sales strategy and generated profits in new business. Provided market research, forecasts, campaign results and consumer trends.

• Maintained reports and results, working with numbers, finding areas of improvement and pivoting strategy accordingly to yield the best results.

2015–2016 CATENON, Pune, India

International Marketing Associate

• Market research, lead generation, and cold calling.

• Marketing and sales support for French market.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Hindi (fluent), Marathi (fluent), French (conversational). CRM, Marketing Automation, and Microsoft Office skills. Travel; rock music.

s.k.soman2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

A devoted and highly organised Assistant Works Manager with a comprehensive knowledge of the automobile industry. Adept at providing high-quality customer service and satisfaction that includes speedy resolutions to customer service issues. A specialist in managing staff with a teamwork spirit to meet customer expectations at or above company standards.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship

2014–2018 COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CUSAT), Kochi, India

Bachelor of Technology (Mechanical Engineering) (first-class distinction)

Experience

2018–2022 2019–2022 KUMMENPUZHA ENGINEERING WORKS, Kayamkulam, India

Assistant Works Manager

Oversaw operations in an auto service unit to ensure compliance with quality standards.

• Contacted clients and used persuasion and influencing skills to encourage servicing and repairs.

• Supervised the activities of automotive service technicians to ensure efficient performance and timely repairs.

• Responsible for hiring and training an effective auto service team.

• Maintained accurate records of all accounts and relevant financial information.

• Ensured automotive service staff complied with environmental laws and regulations.

• Oversaw the procurement of vehicle parts, automotive equipment, and various other items required in an auto service department.

• Collected client feedback, resolving any issues and challenges.

• Managed the disposal of wastes process such as used engine oil and soot to ensure adherence to health and safety laws.

• Assigned and scheduled work duties to auto service staff according to their skills. Engaged with customers to obtain feedback and ensure customer satisfaction with service. Attended workshops and studied relevant publications to stay up to date with developments in the automotive service industry.

2018–2019 Service Advisor

• Interacted with customers to understand their vehicular problems.

• Partook in vehicle test drives with technicians and customers to gain first-hand knowledge of vehicular problems.

• Prepared the cost estimates including the services and repair costs and the cost of spare parts, if needed.

• Maintained and managed a daily record of repairs and services of vehicles undertaken and completed. Ensured delivery of vehicles to customers on time.

Handled and managed softly the minor complaints and irritants with the customers. Educated customers on maintaining their vehicles free from troubles and problems. Supervised, managed, and monitored automotive service technicians and repairers.

• Handled customer inquiries and responded to their needs in a cool, courteous and prompt manner.

• Ensured customer satisfaction at the highest level through effective services and repairs.

Additional Skills

Language IT Skills Interests

Other

Malayalam (native), Hindi (conversational), Tamil (conversational). Microsoft Office.

Chess; driving; swimming; cooking.

As an active member, participated in various volunteering activities under the National Service Scheme (NSS).

MBA students – 45

44 – MBA students
Certifications for DELF A2 French (12/2012). SIRSAT
m.a.sirsat2@newcastle.ac.uk
Sandeep Kumar SOMAN

Sharan

s.venkatesh2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Recognised for assessing operational needs and developing solutions to cut costs and drive customer satisfaction. Resourceful and well-organised with a team-building record. Dedicated and hardworking with an internal drive to deliver excellence. Tactical teambuilder with a strong background in training and team development and excellent at juggling multiple tasks and working under pressure.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK FT MBA Programme

2019–2020 UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE, Hatfield, UK

Master of Science, Manufacturing Management (Distinction)

2012–2016 SRI RAMAKRISHNA ENGINEERING COLLEGE, Coimbatore

Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and Instrumentation

Experience

2020–2022 AGNA SOLUTIONS, Coimbatore, India

Senior Android Developer

• Supervised entry-level engineers, providing them with training and action plans to deliver projects.

• Documented the application design decisions and core code implementation logic.

• Provided constructive feedback for improvement on existing architecture.

Supported application lifecycles including concept, design, development, test, release and support.

• Developed Android apps with Android SDK, Kotlin and Java.

Responsible for managing inventory and stock, as well as various other operations using ERP systems. Gained solid understanding of Android architecture components (Livedata, ViewModel, data binding).

2020–2020 AMAZON PRIME, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK Warehouse Supervisor

• Provided training for new associates on the various tasks carried out in the warehouse.

• Involved in both inbound and outbound operations.

• Monitored the performance of the warehouse operatives and provided feedback for improvement.

• Created new layout designs for the warehouse to improve efficiency.

Responsible for performing routine quality and inventory checks in the warehouse.

• Responsible for batching and storing finished orders according to their respective routes.

2019–2020 DHL WELHAM GREEN, UK

Warehouse Operative

• Responsible for both inbound and outbound operations for Marks & Spencer.

• Picked and packed customer orders at high speed by maintaining high quality.

2018–2019 AGNA, Coimbatore, India

Android Developer

• Developed various applications using programming languages like PHP, Android and Java.

• Developed various tests and quality check methods to ensure the final product ran effectively.

• Part of a team that developed programs in areas of event management, delivery tracking, visitor tracking management and E-commerce applications.

2016–2018 ACS SOLUTIONS, Coimbatore, India

Automation Application Engineer

Developed and implemented automation programs for several SMEs around Pune. Developed ladder logic program in programmable logic controllers from various manufacturers including Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi, Messung and Siemens.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Tamil (native), Kannada (conversational). Java, SAP, MS Office, Codesys, Labview. Motorsports; football.

Advanced training in Industrial Automation and Robotics, ABB robot applications, an overview of DCS and PLC overview by Technical School of Yokogawa, practical training on image processing by Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, practical training on MATLAB by Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College.

Career Profile

Award-winning, multilingual and versatile Project Manager and Business Analyst with around 11 years of comprehensive top-rated experience in managing innovative/digital transformation and end-to-end core banking initiatives. Expertise in Finacle products including Core and Digital Banking Solutions. Quantifiable success in agile scrum management and project risk analysis as well as developing solutions to a variety of complex problems. Very flexible and able to adapt quickly to new trends, build key relationships and lead and collaborate with high-performance teams to exceed shared project management objectives.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2005–2009 UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT, Kerala, India

FT Bachelor of Technology Computer Science

Experience

2020–2021 RAKBANK, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Business Analyst

• Handled the roles of Project Manager and Product Owner for the business banking digital initiatives and cash management product implementation.

• Preparation of business cases and business process workflows.

• Conducted workshops for product backlog refinement with the key stakeholders.

• Oversaw project plans, conducted daily team meetings, weekly review meetings, defect triage meetings and reported to bi-weekly steering committee meeting.

2019–2020 WIPRO, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Business Analyst

Project managed the Innovation Lab (Digital Transformation Initiatives), reporting to the HoD.

• Cost management for the overall Innovation Lab budget worth AED 50M. Responsibilities included preparation of overall budget tracker, conducting bi-weekly financial review meeting with HoD, Director, CIO (Chief Innovation Officer), providing utilisation details, forecasting reports to CFO.

• Resource, stakeholder, vendor management and monitoring project execution for digital and cash management product implementations for retail/business banking departments.

2017–2019 DICETEK (Client: RAKBANK), Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Management Consultant

Handled the roles of Project Manager and Business Analyst for the client RAKBANK (onshore) for retail assets/ liability products implementation and business and wholesale banking initiatives. Cost, vendor, stakeholder, communications management and monitoring from Project Charter creation, plan creation, solutioning, development, testing, production implementation and handover to IT support.

2016–2017 EDGEVERVE, Bangalore, India

Solution Consultant

• Handled Finacle Core Lending Module for the Standard Bank – Namibia Corporate Migration program.

• Part of requirement gathering, gap analysis, business parameter definition and solution documentation.

2010–2015 INFOSYS LIMITED, Bangalore, India

Test Analyst

• Finacle Core functional consultant and Test Analyst for various core banking. Implementation projects across the globe for clients such as Ban Columbia, ANZ, DBS, ICICI, IndusInd Bank.

• Onshore/Offshore Lead during various stages of testing life cycle, including team members from client counterpart.

Additional Skills

Language IT Skills

Other

Malayalam (native), Tamil (fluent), Hindi (conversational). Microsoft Project, JIRA, Visio.

Certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP®); Certified Scrum Master (CSM®); Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO®). Awards: “RAK Excellence” Awards for – Corporate Loans and Syndication module and ‘RAKbooster’ product launch; “On the spot” Award and Client appreciation in all continuous quarters, for taking ownership and bringing ST, SIT, UAT, Pre-Go live phases to closure within stringent timelines for IndusInd bank, India; “Finacle Gem” Award for successful engagement for ANZ Bank assignments. Internal publications: Infosys on Retail Loan Life Cycle and DPD Triggering in Asset Accounts (NPA).

46 – MBA students
VENKATESH
MBA students – 47
Darsana VENUGOPAL d.venugopal2@newcastle.ac.uk

Suzhen

v.vijaya-varma2@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Dedicated Systems Engineer with 5+ years of experience in Engineering IT services. Recognised for ability to communicate with stakeholders, provide exceptional service, manage cross-functional teams, and motivate individuals for organisational excellence.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2012–2016 KERALA UNIVERSITY, Trivandrum, India

Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical (Production) Engineering

Experience

2016-2021

2018–2021

TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED, Bangalore, India

Systems Engineer

Served as an automotive design engineer of automotive interior and cockpit modules for a worldrenowned Japanese automobile manufacturer.

Handled the role of team leader and was actively involved in mentoring and training personnel.

• Utilised an Agile scrum-like working model along with a greater emphasis on thorough requirement understanding, execution without dampening the team spirit and meticulous quality check before delivery.

• Effectively collaborated with various cross-functional teams in reducing the lead time of critical deliverables by implementing process improvement methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma, contributing to a steady improvement in overall key performance indicators.

• Hands-on experience in the pre-processing phase of Computer Aided Design Engineering using ANSA software where the service was for a world automotive giant based in the US.

2016–2018 Assistant Systems Engineer

Developed excellent team-working skills gained through drafting and quality checking of engineering drawings of medical devices.

• Effectively executed and managed Engineering Change Orders of an American Life Sciences client using CAD and Product Lifecycle management software.

• Collaborated at client level providing engineering support to the New Product Development of medical diagnostic devices.

• Hands-on experience effectively utilising Product Lifecycle Management software.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills

Interests

Other

Malayalam (native), Tamil (conversational).

Unigraphics NX; Solidworks; Teamcenter; Enovia; ANSA; Python (beginner). Technical analysis of stock prices; reading; travelling; listening to music. Active trader in Financial Markets (equity and index derivatives); Ranked 73 (first in Newcastle University) in The Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge 2022, Data Science (beginner).

Career Profile

12 years of experience in the training industry, focusing on the R&D of copyright training products; helping enterprises establish training systems and develop standardised training courses; training internal trainers; and launching several popular copyright training products. Eight years of enterprise management experience, focusing on human resource management and enterprise university operation.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

2004-2006 THE OCEAN UNIVERSITY OF CHINA, Qingdao, China

Diploma International Trade

1997–2001 HARBIN UNIVERSITY OF COMMERCE, Harbin, China

BSc Merchandising

Experience

2011– SHENZHEN SHICHUMINGMEN EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, Shenzhen, China (It has held 10 China International Training Products Expo.)

Partner and Business Lecturer

• Cultivated and managed a team of more than 20 business trainers.

• Launched six copyright training products in the Chinese market.

Trained more than 20,000 internal trainers for large and medium-sized enterprises and helped them develop more than 3,000 standardised internal training courses.

2008–2010 QINGDAO NAWA INTERNATIONAL TRADING CO LTD, Qingdao, China

General Manager

• Managed more than 30 employees.

• Led team to become the third highest selling team of the ‘Jiesai automatic cooking pot’ in the whole of China in the first year as manager.

2007–2008 BELONG, GROUP, Qingdao, China

Human Resource Manager

• Directly managed more than ten employees in the HR department and enterprise management department.

• Comprehensively upgraded and optimised the group’s HR management system and improved management efficiency.

• Adjusted and upgraded the group’s corporate culture manual.

2001–2007 LIQUN GROUP, Qingdao, China

(China’s retail giant, with more than 30K employees across China.)

Learning and Development Manager

Operated the Group’s enterprise university and managed training business.

• Established and implemented a full participation staff training system which won first prize in the 20th Enterprise Management Modernization Innovation and Excellent Application Achievement in Shandong Province, China in 2006.

Additional Skills

Language

Interests Other

Chinese (native). Chinese dancing; mountain climbing; reading; travelling. Volunteer to help poor children in the Yimeng Mountain area of China.

48 – MBA students
Vaishnav V VARMA
MBA students – 49
YANG s.yang31@newcastle.ac.uk

Career Profile

Qualified ACCA Accountant with 8+ years of experience in Accounting, Finance, Audit, Management and Entrepreneurship. Excellent leadership skills involving problem solving, developing and motivating team members and time management. Capable of working in a multicultural environment, always embraces new thinking and new challenges.

Education

2019–2020 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship

2010–2013 KAPLAN FINANCIAL LTD, Manchester, UK

• Member: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

2010–2013 OXFORD BROOKE UNIVERSITY, Oxford, UK BA Applied Accounting

Experience

2017–2022 YOMUZ SDN BHD, Sabah, Malaysia Director, Accountant

• Small start-up Food and Beverage business. Directed, supervised and coordinated a team of 10–15 staff, led finance planning, human resources and marketing operations.

• Prepared financial statements and performed analysis on sales, profit and expense management.

Liaised with external auditor on company’s annual audit.

• Increased sales by over 30% through social media marketing, new product launches and enhanced customer service. Staff retention jumped from 30% to 85% with new performance-based schemes and training sessions.

• Reduced overhead costs by 25% from prior year by analysing financial statements and implementing cost-saving solutions.

2014–2017 KPMG PLT, Sabah, Malaysia

Audit Associate

• Performed audit work on 10–15 companies a year, including well-known Listed Singapore Estate Group with annual turnover of USD$150M+.

Led teams on all aspects of the audit including audit planning, resources allocation, risk assessments, internal control efficiency and compliance of local statutory regulations.

• Reduced audit time cost of each engagement by 10%+ year on year, with 100% on time submission.

• Familiar with Financial Reporting Standards such as IFRS, MFRS, MPERS. Proficient in using KPMG’s audit software, eAudit.

2013–2014 WINALITE INTERNATIONAL, Guangzhou-HQ, China Finance Supervisor

Multinational corporation with more than 1,000 employees in more than 50 countries.

• Led and managed all finance aspects of six overseas branches: UAE, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

• Prepared and analysed financial statement for respective branches for future decision-making.

• Implemented strategies with management to meet annual financial goals of the company.

2006–2013 BMG CATERING LTD, Manchester, UK

Production Supervisor

• Led and managed a team of five. Responsible for productivity, safety, inventory management, job planning and training.

• Consistently maintained 100% on-time delivery of orders. Continuous improvement on processes which reduced material costs and production time by roughly 20% year on year.

Additional Skills

Language

IT Skills Interests

Other

Mandarin and Cantonese (native). Xero, eAudit.

Travelling; film; SCUBA diving; hiking; reading.

Fellow of ACCA, Committee member of ACCA Sabah, Secretary of KPMG Social Club.

Tingting

Career Profile

11 years’ experience in global companies, being engaged in both B2B industry and B2C industries. Five years’ business development experience in the non-ferrous metal industry and four years’ product marketing experience in durable consumer goods. Experienced in product management; product training programmes; trade marketing; business strategy management; financial analysis; and future exchange. Multicultural communicating skills and teamworking spirit. A selfmotivated, logical thinker and a quick learner.

Education

2022–2023 NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

FT MBA Programme

• Awarded: MBA Developing Talent and Leadership Scholarship

• Member: Business and Debating societies

2009–2010 HENAN UNIVERSITY, Kaifeng, China

Japanese Level 1 language proficiency

• Passed the International Level 1 Test (highest level for Japanese learning) in the second year

2006–2009 TAISHO UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan

Bachelor of Arts, Multi-Cultural Communication

• Study abroad experience as an exchange student at Henan University

Experience

2021–2022 DENSO (CHINA) INVESTMENT CO LTD, Shanghai, China

Senior Assistant Manager

Responsible for product management and business strategy management for cold chain service. Assisted in business strategy development and managed product planning for the cold chain service to build up smart cities with cold chain transportation IoT technologies.

• Made product roadmaps for both short- and long-term and set the product positioning for each.

• Translated market intelligence and customer insights into product features and plans. Renewed the product version with useful advice three months after the work started and designed a new product line according to the roadmaps.

• Managed projects’ breakdown and budget, ensuring each process went smoothly within budget.

2017–2021 CASIO (CHINA) CO LTD, Shanghai, China

Product Manager

Responsible for product management of company’s calculators’ range. Conducted market research to understand customer needs and competitors, initiating new product concepts and their promotion. Launched three new products successfully, one model became an online bestseller.

• Managed cross-function marketing of product launches.

• Assisted with portfolio management, including price adjusting, phasing out etc. to allocate finite resources efficiently. Planned cost-reducing packaging project and improved the product gross margin by 10%.

• Managed product training plan for agencies and stores to maximise the transmitting of product’s user benefits. Planned sales training project for new B2B channel, strengthened brand awareness and established good relationships with the channel service agencies.

• Managed trade marketing plan for B2B new channel, almost doubled the channel sales in year one.

2012–2017 MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, Shanghai, China

Key Account Manager

• Responsible for the business development of copper cathode including finance and risk management.

• Developed two core clients with new business models successfully to expand business scale. Contributed the operating revenue of $30M a year for each.

• Improved product competitiveness by establishing financial inventory and reducing procurement cost.

• Conducted pricing management by managing cost and hedging operations.

Additional Skills Language

Skills

Other

Chinese (native), Japanese (fluent). Microsoft Office. Travelling; part-time tour leader for four years; blues dance; snowboarding. New Product Development Professional (NPDP) Certificate.

50 – MBA students
Wanming YE w.ye4@newcastle.ac.uk MBA students – 51
IT
Interests
ZHAO t.zhao7@newcastle.ac.uk

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Acknowledgements

Editing: Newcastle University Business School

Design: GDA

Print: Statex Colour Print

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