SBS Blog > Changing career with the MBA by Madeleine Chadwick

Changing career with the MBA

By Madeleine Chadwick - Posted on 1 April 2021

MBA graduate Madeleine Chadwick had a successful career in research and development but used the Strathclyde MBA to pivot her career into a broader business career.

Before the MBA, I worked as a senior research and development manager in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, developing and launching new products in the cosmetic and medical device field. I decided to do the MBA to pivot my career and broaden my business knowledge to enable the change. I chose Strathclyde as the positioning and content of the course was ideally suited to what I was looking for. I was also attracted by the dedicated career service and the opportunity to benefit from the strong links that Strathclyde has with businesses in Scotland.

It was such a privilege to take a year out to study, think, learn and develop - I loved my MBA experience. The diversity of people on the course was a real positive for me and I enjoyed the group assignments: they were challenging but proved to be a great learning experience and something of a differentiator for the Strathclyde MBA. It wasn't always easy, in fact it gave me some of my biggest challenges that year, but it also provided me with some of my greatest learning experiences.

I moved back to Scotland to do the MBA after 20 years away and so had no local network and limited knowledge of industry in Scotland. The industry speakers, careers fair and networking events were particularly useful and informative for me. I also enjoyed a lot of the broader opportunities through Strathclyde University and associated organisations and attended many talks and events.

Strathclyde provided strong support from both teaching and support staff with a variety of internal and external lecturers and types of courses and styles. The support staff were very helpful and always available. When you study a full time MBA it is somewhat all consuming, so it is important to have strong support. The MBA dedicated careers team were also a great support, there to help with careers choices as well as advice on CVs, job applications and interviews and I used the service frequently.

I would absolutely recommend the Strathclyde MBA – and have, in fact, done so. To anyone considering it, I would emphasize the hard work and commitment needed but highlight that it is worth it to get the best from the experience. It really did open a new world to me and allow me to achieve my objective of pivoting my career.

I am now on the General Management Leadership Development Programme at Thermo Fisher Scientific. This is a programme for MBA graduates and got this role as a direct result of the MBA. It is a two year programme where people rotate through different divisions and roles in the business. It is a great opportunity to continue to learn and apply the knowledge gained in the MBA. This is a change in career for me - both industry and role - and the MBA was very much part of allowing me to do this.