At the threshold of ambitious opportunities with the UEA MBA
An emotional paradox. That curious yet wonderful feeling when you spend so many months wanting, thinking and dreaming about something, and finally when that moment arrives you still can’t quite comprehend or believe that it’s happened. A few days ago this was the very feeling I experienced when Lucy Marks contacted me to inform me of my successful scholarship application for the MBA course at the UEA, something which had only been a dream of mine for the foreseeable future, perhaps on the cards in some years to come.
It took me some time to allow it to sink into my reality, but I am truly elated.
I’ve always known I was destined to be a part of the business world, ever since I was selling my old books to the younger students at school, charging more than I had paid and turning the fact that they were drawn on or had some notes on them into a USP to drive the sales, as “those notes will help you in class”; or publishing a school newspaper in the days when printing ink was very expensive, to then understand I was actually just about breaking even or losing money with all the cost involved and so lobbying the school director to subsidise my endeavour as a benefit to the students.
I’ve come a long way since then, I have completed my Bachelor’s and then my Master’s International Business Degrees graduating with distinction from the most prestigious Ukrainian university renowned for their business studies, and that’s where I learnt to thoroughly plan and understand how businesses work, at least on paper.
To say that being a business owner is difficult is a complete understatement, but this is an experience I would never exchange as it proved invaluable. Often the best opportunities that the school of life has to offer can also provide us with the hardest challenges.
I was fascinated and determined to experience different working cultures and day-to-day lives across the globe, so off I went forging an international career for myself, spanning across four different countries: Ukraine, Poland, Northern Cyprus, and the UK. I was fortunate to have a mixture of experiences in my early career: from working for the Ukrainian government helping set up the EURO-2012 football competition, to being a freelance translator, academic writer, and to teaching languages (I speak five).
Soon after graduating I moved to the UK. Cultural barriers, having to start my career from the beginning once again, seeking recognition and acceptance, re-building my network of contacts, and otherwise adapting to the new country – all of these had an enormous positive impact in shaping me into the person I am today – a strong-willed and self-reliant woman who doesn’t give up or take no for an answer.
Some of the first steps on my career path in the UK were becoming a Business Advisor and also setting up my own coffee business alongside. This is where things got serious and I started to understand how businesses work, now in real life.
To say that being a business owner is difficult is a complete understatement, but this is an experience I would never exchange as it proved invaluable. Often the best opportunities that the school of life has to offer can also provide us with the hardest challenges.
This made me think about where I want to find myself ten years from now, and how I am going to get myself there.
As life goes on, I was progressing in my career, and years of hard work, continuous learning, interest in technology, and a lucky opportunity helped me break into the UK tech scene. My roles as a Business Analyst, Project Manager and Scrum Master have always made me feel like a connecting link between business and technology, and that’s exactly where I feel I can bring the highest value. My evolution began during my time in the enterprise arena where I worked on some truly exciting projects, then delving into the rapidly transforming and cutting edge world of Artificial Intelligence, and now Lead Business Analyst in the e-commerce domain while at the same time a self-employed Project Manager / Agile Champion in the fintech arena.
Reflecting back on the last decade, despite the fact that I hate having to start counting in decades, I can proudly say it has certainly been a busy one. This made me think about where I want to find myself ten years from now, and how I am going to get myself there.
My ultimate ambition is to move into a C-suite role within the tech sector before turning forty, to utilise the growing importance of tech (especially as we have seen during the pandemic), and most importantly address the underrepresentation of women leaders, with currently only 15% of female CTOs at FTSE 100 firms. In being a young, female leader, I will have a greater ability to inspire and create opportunities for women such as the school students I currently mentor in their early steps towards building a career in tech.
I like being able to share my story and what I had to conquer to go from arriving as an outsider in a new country to building a successful career in a progressive industry and aspiring to help others believe in themselves and go towards their goals despite any obstacles.
I feel that I am in a very good place professionally at the moment, having already experienced and achieved quite a lot on my journey, and that I am now ready to take that next step to help me move closer to my goal. I decided to myself that the MBA is that crucial link which will support me in achieving my aspirations by strengthening my skills integral for the corporate landscape, and giving me a chance to learn from the invaluable experience of other cohort members, to help further my career and offer better support to others who might be as confused and unsure as I once were when starting my career.
Once again, I cannot thank the Norfolk Network enough for giving me the chance to go ahead with my dream! I absolutely cannot wait to start the course in a few days and begin the next exciting steps on my life’s adventure.