SBS Blog > From Delivering Change to Shaping Strategy: My First Year on the Executive MBA by Uzma Aslam

From Delivering Change to Shaping Strategy: My First Year on the Executive MBA

By Uzma Aslam - Posted on 26 August 2026

Uzma Aslam has just finished her first year of the Executive MBA and outlines here why she chose to do an MBA and the impact it's having on her and her career.

Before beginning the MBA, I had spent more than 15 years working across the NHS, building a career in project and programme management, service improvement and digital transformation. My academic background spans biomedical science, pharmacology, public health and health services management, while my professional experience has increasingly centred on leading complex change across clinical, operational and digital environments. I currently work at NHS 24, helping to translate strategic ambitions into services that work for patients, staff and the wider health system.

I chose to pursue an MBA because I wanted to move beyond being known primarily as someone who delivers change. I wanted to strengthen my ability to shape strategy, understand organisations as interconnected systems and contribute with greater confidence at senior decision-making tables. My longer-term ambition is to progress into director-level leadership and become a globally minded practitioner who can connect public value, innovation and effective delivery.

Strathclyde stood out because of its reputation, practical orientation and emphasis on useful learning. The part-time Executive MBA allowed me to continue working while applying new concepts directly to live organisational challenges. I remain at NHS 24, where I am enjoying a broader remit and greater visibility. Increasingly, I am being asked not only to manage delivery, but also to bring structure, challenge assumptions and support senior colleagues in navigating complex strategic issues.

The course has been demanding, stimulating and genuinely transformative. Academic learning has covered operations, finance, marketing, digital transformation, strategy and scenario planning. One of the greatest sources of value has been learning to connect these disciplines, because organisational problems rarely arrive neatly labelled as a finance, leadership or strategy issue. The MBA has helped me understand how decisions in one area create consequences across the wider system.

Another significant benefit has been the network built through the programme. Workshops, guest contributors, case studies, group assignments and conversations with classmates from different sectors have continually tested and expanded my thinking. The diversity of experience within the cohort has been as valuable as the formal curriculum, as people often identify possibilities and risks that may be less visible from within one profession or organisation.

A particular highlight has been applying academic frameworks to real-life situations at NHS 24. This has enabled me to examine familiar challenges from new perspectives and consider how strategic ambition can be translated into practical action, particularly in complex and pressured environments.

Balancing work, study and home life has required discipline, planning and honest choices. I have learned that balance is not a perfect daily equation; sometimes one priority must take the lead. Protected study time, early preparation and connecting assignments to meaningful workplace challenges have made the workload more manageable and worthwhile.

Based on my first year, I would recommend the MBA to experienced professionals who are prepared to be stretched rather than simply validated. It has not only expanded what I know; it has changed the altitude from which I view my work, my leadership and my future.