‘This is one of the best decisions I have ever made. It will stay with me for the rest of my life’

Having already seen significant success in her career, Principal Consultant at Vendigital, Alessandra Del Centina, was keen to explore new opportunities to accelerate to a more senior level within her organisation and identified the MBA as the gatekeeper to her future success.

Accelerating career success

“As a management consultancy firm, we sell expertise, professionalism and skill, so the human element and the cultivation of talent is really important,” explains Alessandra. “I have seen colleagues grow and develop whilst they were completing their MBA so I was in a privileged position and could already see the benefits.”

“I reached a point in my career where I wanted to accelerate my success, expand my network and learn from others, surrounded by the best lecturers, support and opportunities that I can, and the MBA was the logical step for me to take to achieve this.”

Alessandra joined the Bath Executive MBA programme in 2021 with the support of her employer, Vendigital, who had already sponsored several employees through the programme.

Investing in progression

Anita Maguire, People Director at Vendigital, explained the strategic thinking behind their partnership with the University of Bath, “we were first introduced to the Bath MBA through the University’s graduate placement programme. It showed us the quality of graduates that come out of Bath. We wanted to explore further how we could use this to develop our people, progress their careers and ultimately, deliver to our clients.”

“When thinking about succession planning, we consider how we equip our colleagues to reach their full potential and support their ambition to progress their career and move into bigger roles in the Vendigital team. We are always looking across our teams to identify motivated and passionate candidates who we think would benefit from an MBA.”

Anita stressed that there was more than simply good people development practice on the criteria list. “Have we seen a commercial benefit to our investment and partnership with Bath? Absolutely. We have seen a huge difference in every team member as they have progressed through the Bath MBA programme. All of the students that we have sponsored have progressed in seniority levels.”

She concludes: “We see the MBA executive programme as a key enabler of developing our team and the leadership team of tomorrow. The impacts have been far-reaching, providing us with a competitive advantage and level of credibility that allows us to compete with the big consultancies.”

A collaboration that delivers outcomes for employers and employees

Alessandra recognises the impact the course has already had on her personal strategic development, and how she applies this to her role at Vendigital. “The programme teaches you not just theoretical concepts and business models, but also how to benchmark yourself against others and apply your personal learning experiences, which is absolutely fundamental in the progression and development of a person.

“The programme encourages a strategic frame of mind and constantly challenge you to consider the bigger picture of ‘why are we doing this’ and ‘what are we trying to achieve’? You can then apply this to your work and make changes that have huge impact and make you so much more effective in the workplace.”

Anita’s advice for businesses considering an MBA partnership for their professional development? “If you are serious about succession planning and how best to develop your teams, speak with the MBA recruitment team at the University of Bath. They are incredibly knowledgeable about the programme, the content, the type of individual that it would really benefit but also how to make it work for your organisation so that you get the most out of your investment.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about The Bath MBA, contact Becky Gallagher, Head of Admissions & Recruitment, at mbaapps@bath.ac.uk.