You have to start with the intention of really embracing the degree. That’s the difference between doing an Executive MBA because you want it on your CV, and doing something that you know will change not just your career, but your ability to influence your organisation and potentially the world.
One of the benefits of the programme is that it is part-time, structured around week-long modules every five weeks. So I was able to apply all of my learning as I learnt it, and – the other way round – draw on my current work in every assignment.
In fact, my journey through the programme was pretty well timed and in step with the big innovation that I'm bringing to the market at the moment.
Vicon is the market-leader in motion-capture technology, which is used in the film industry but also in hospitals, professional sports, engineering, aerospace, and increasingly in location-based entertainment and virtual reality. Until now, motion-capture has been based on using carefully placed physical markers, which look a bit like ping-pong balls, to follow movement. In August 2023, however - just before the final module of the programme - we unveiled our new markerless motion capture system in collaboration with the location-based virtual reality company Dreamscape Immersive. Our technology allowed Dreamscape to create an experience in which six people could interact in real time in a virtual world, which is a major step forward and won us ‘best in show’ at SIGGRAPH, which is one of the biggest visual effects conferences internationally.
I had started the programme just as we had received the funding from the board to develop this solution. So I was developing a strategy and building a completely new department to take it forward, and every module of the programme, from leadership to strategy, team-building, and marketing, fed directly into what I was doing. In September I was thrilled to be able to bring my classmates up to our offices in Oxfordshire to give them a demonstration and show them what their discussions and insights had been helping with over the previous two years! I couldn’t share the details with anyone at the time, but I was able to absorb so much that was instantly applicable, and it was wonderful to be able to include everyone in our big finish.
What I've really taken away from this degree is the ability to deal with people, and understand how important that ability is in addressing all of our challenges. I don't think there are many places where senior leaders get an opportunity to come together to work with and learn from others at the same level. To be sure, there’s a C-suite in every company, but there are only five or six of them. There were 67 in our Executive MBA cohort, and that is the nucleus of a very powerful network.
