Q&A with...Lesley Pender, MBA Director

In the first of a series of Q&As with Strathclyde Business School staff, Lesley Pender, MBA Director and Deputy Director of SEED, is in the spotlight.

What's your role at SBS?

I am the MBA Director and Deputy Director of Strathclyde Executive Education and Development (SEED). The role mainly involves working with a fantastic team dedicated to ensuring that our students across our multiple intakes of MBA programmes in Glasgow and our international centres each year have an excellent student experience.

I have been doing this role at Strathclyde for the past two years and prior to that I worked in the Corporate Programmes team. I was previously Head of Postgraduate Programmes at Edinburgh Napier and prior to that I was the MBA Director at Newcastle University. I was however already a Strathclyder having done both my Undergraduate degree and an MSc in Marketing here and having been a Lecturer at Strathclyde early in my career in Higher Education.

What does your typical day look like?

My days are never typical but meetings and emails are of course a given. As the MBA programme is delivered internationally and as the programme teams work across different times zones, I usually start checking emails by 7am.

At any one time I might be working on more than one proposal or programme development or I may be involved with the implementation of a continuous improvement project. I work with the core MBA team, our academic departments and the MBA teaching team, our corporate programmes team, our international partners, the Business School Faculty office as well as the Marketing and Recruitment team. I particularly enjoy interviewing prospective students and taking part in Open Events. I also enjoy our insightful and thought provoking MBA Leadership Series of Events. Graduation days are another highlight and it is always a huge pleasure to be involved in the ceremony and very well deserved celebrations.

Are you working on any research?

I am constantly researching MBA programmes all around the world to ensure that the Strathclyde MBA retains its strong reputation and position in the market. I am now extending this to include researching MBA experiential learning. We are also researching the impact of the introduction of optional coaching and mentoring opportunities for our students and our leadership development workshops.

What's new or upcoming in your role?

We offer both the Senior Leaders and Systems Thinking Degree Apprenticeships and I have recently become more involved in this area. We have a great team supporting our Degree Apprentices and it is a really interesting model.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I love the variety my job offers but especially enjoy any opportunity to engage with our students. The MBA summer school when students from all of our international centres have the option to join elective classes in Glasgow is particularly enjoyable as students from our different cohorts share classes and expand their networks. Alumni can also apply to take an elective each year for three years post-graduation which further enhances the experience for everyone involved in the summer school.

Do you have a hot tip to share about the MBA?

My tip to all MBA students is to embrace the opportunity to develop yourself both personally and professionally by being open to all of the experiences on the programme particularly those that take you out of your comfort zone. The experiential learning opportunities offered on the MBA are a great way to practice applying the broad and deep knowledge you have gained as well as the new skills you are developing. The most recent changes to the Strathclyde MBA have further enhanced these experiential learning opportunities, The addition of optional coaching and mentoring supports the personal and professional development of our students throughout the programme and continues beyond graduation.

What's your favourite thing about Strathclyde?

The ethos. The recent changes to the MBA programme further enhance our responsible business focus and introduce the teaching and assessment of societal impact. The ethos of Strathclyde provides an excellent wider university context for these changes and the people make it all possible.

Where's your favourite spot in Glasgow?

Café Gandolfi for coffee.

Favourite place in Scotland?

I grew up in Helensburgh and my family spent most of our spare time sailing round the West Coast. I love the entire West Coast but Crinan Canal was the gateway to many amazing adventures and is always a place I want to return to. I am also a huge fan of mountains and so Glencoe has to get a mention if I am allowed more than one favourite place.

Quick fire: favourite book, song, television show?

My favourite book is To Kill a Mockingbird but I also love anything by Sabastian Faulks or Amor Towles. The next book I am going to read always excites me and as a member of three book clubs there is a constant flow.

Favourite song is Uptown Girl by Billy Joel because it always reminds me of my time living in New York when it had just been released and was played everywhere.

Favourite film is really hard and changes all the time. A Beautiful Mind as my favourite film set in an academic context.

Published: 9 January 2025