Your chance to apply for an MBA Agri-Farm scholarship
Have you ever thought of improving your business skills? Well now you can with the help of the MBA Agri-Farm Scholarship scheme. Established four years ago by John Beckett, former chairman of Genus and NWF Group, the main objective of the scholarship is to offer farmers and agricultural professionals the opportunity to learn valuable business skills resulting in an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management, one of the world's leading business schools. The scholarship provides recipients with a substantial contribution to the tune of £28,000 toward the cost of studying. So far, three students have taken part in the scholarship and in June two of these formally graduated (Mark Hall and Richard Milligan-Manby) and were presented with their MBA, and the third (Dan Powell) will graduate early next year. All three say the scheme has changed their lives for the better and equipped them with the knowledge and tools to improve and make changes to the businesses they are involved with. The scholarship can be completed on a full-time one-year basis or part time spread over two years. Applications for the next scholarships are now being sought and the closing date is November so if you are interested or would like to find out more information about the scholarship scheme, visit www.som.cranfield.ac.uk or call 01234 754812.
Mark Hall MBA Case Study 1. Tell us a bit about yourself (age, location, work experience, education, achievements, family etc) Age 36, I farm with my father in Bedfordshire; in 1995 I obtained a degree in agriculture from the Royal Agricultural College. I then worked for Wallcourt as a trainee farm manager and in my 5 years working with them progressed to farm manager level. In 2003 I joined Strutton Park and for 4 years worked as an associate partner specialising in farm business management strategy and consultancy. During this time I did a three-week course with the Worshipful Company of Farmers and it was there that I found out about the MBA Agri-farm Scholarship.
2. What made you apply to do the MBA Agri-farm Scholarship? I applied for the MBA scholarship scheme because I wanted to enhance my skill set and learn all about strategic business planning at one of the world’s leading business schools. It also provided an opportunity to gain expertise from individuals working within a variety of industries. In addition, I felt I had hit a career ceiling and as an ambitious person saw this as an excellent opportunity to strengthen my CV.
3.
When did you start and were you full or part time?
In October 2007, full time finished in September 2008 and formally graduated in June 2009.
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How have your family and friends reacted?
They have been very supportive and understanding of the time commitment involved in completing the MBA.
5. To date, what have you enjoyed most about the course? For me, the academic side of things has been a fun learning experience. I am not the most academic person but have 12 years prior certainly helped. The course had students from 32 different nationalities and I learnt a lot from them in terms of working with different cultures and working as a team. It also exposed me to learnings from fellow students who managed bigger businesses then I had been used to. Grasping business terminology was another big benefit.
6. To date, what has been your greatest achievement during the course? Being nominated by my fellow students for the Odgers prize was very flattering. It meant I had to go forward and be interviewed by a panel about career aspirations and what I wanted to do in life. Although I did not win, it was a great experience, which taught my a lot about my leadership skills and how this is one of my strengths. In fact, Cranfield asked to come back to help with the next influx of students and talk about leadership so I am still involved with them, which is great!
7. To date, what have you found difficult about the course? Time management, a lot of work within a pressured environment to meet tight deadlines and producing consistent quality of work.
8. How many students are you studying with and where do they come from i.e. GB, Europe, International? There were 138 students in my year covering 32 different nationalities. I have kept in touch with the majority of people I studied with and in fact met my girlfriend who is Iranian on my course.
9. What subjects do you study? Economics, Statistics, Marketing, Project management, Supply chain, Strategy, Accountancy, Organisational Behaviour and Personal Professional Development, Information Technology, People Management, Operations Management, Business Law, Finance, Implementing Change, Supply Chain, Mergers and Acquisitions, Sustainable Business, Leadership. The most interesting aspect for me was combining the learning’s from financial management with business strategy.
10. When do you graduate? Completed the course in September 2008 and graduated in June 2009.
11. What is the most important thing you learnt during the course? The biggest thing is I learnt is how I perform within a team, recognising my strengths and weaknesses and building a team around me to compliment these.
12. What have you done since you graduated? Once I completed the course, I got a job in November 2008 with Syngenta and now work as a business analyst for Syngenta, looking at the performance of the UK business and challenging specific areas of business strategy within the UK and Europe, a job I would never have secured without the MBA. Together with a colleague, I have also established a business creating an agricultural fund to buy farms in Brazil. I am heading out there next month, to date we have some excellent people on board but will look to raise more funds in the future to grow the business.
13. What are your plans for the future? Ideally I would like to climb the career ladder within a global company, and long term would love to be in a position to return to farming full time, building and investing in my own farm creating a legacy for my family.
14. Would you recommend the course to others? Definitely as an academic experience it has been the best have ever had.