“I finished a Master’s degree in digital commerce so I was always interested in that area,” says Cian, raised in Ireland and a recent MBA graduate. “I began to look at different websites, seeing what's out there. It's better to pursue something that's live [online]. So, that's why the EE role stood out to me."
Cian was not alone on his search. The telecoms and technology sectors have enjoyed an era of unprecedented growth in demand. Last year saw an 8% increase in demand for MBA graduates in telecoms, according to business school research company QS. Demand in tech and telecoms surged 14% in some parts of Europe.
Cian did a lot of market research to get up to speed. He had not studied anything digital-related since 2006. “MBAs might not necessarily prioritise telecoms right now, but it’s all becoming merged into this digital communications bubble,” he says. He joined EE, the largest mobile network operator in the UK, in February.
In 2010, Orange and T-Mobile, both major mobile brands, joined forces and became EE – the first mobile operator to offer 4G in the UK.
Cian began his career at Dexia, the European bank, before moving onto Canon's graduate program in 2007. After that he joined the full-time MBA program at the University of Bath School of Management, before a summer internship with Intel Corporation last June.
“You’re put through the mill during an MBA,” he says. “It makes you a little more confident and ambitious.” Yet there is little industry-specific learning that he experienced at Bath. “But it is the intensity of the modules, the all-nighters, and the thrashing stuff out with classmates that means you know you can get through unknown situations.”
He got an early taste of communications while studying an MSc in electronic commerce at Dublin City University. His interest has since grown.
Cian is a Senior Commercial Trading Manager. He acts as the “commercial front door for Pay As You Go in the business”. He links with different departments to ensure that EE's targets are being driven in all areas of the business.
The MBA program has helped him change perspectives frequently. “During the MBA you’re doing finance one week and the next it’s marketing,” he says. “That’s something you become familiar with.”
Cian made it through the interview process.
An MBA was a preferred qualification for the job. But either way, Cian thinks he wouldn’t have landed it without one. “There would be a lot more self-doubt there,” he says. “I probably wouldn't have come across something in this industry. The MBA makes you feel that you're capable of [working in] another sector.”
More MBA interest in the telecoms sector has followed.
“You have the dynamic of a consumable, so every week consumers are using your product – but at the same time it’s a very high-tech product, so it is compelling to people,” says Cian. “There’s the balance between the urgency of retail, and then the excitement and innovation of technology.”
His career goals are simple: his next step would be moving into a people-management role – “once I familiarize myself with the industry”.
“There are lots of opportunities and projects within EE, so responsibility for project management teams or something similar would be interesting. But it’s very early days.”
Student Reviews
University of Bath School of Management (MBA)
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