MBA Alumni Profile: Rodney Cannon, IE

 Rodney Cannon's success on all levels, both prior to and during the IE International MBA Programme, is particularly satisfying to observe. 

Rodney achieved both a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws in his native country of Australia, in the course of which he also collected various awards for excellence including the Price Waterhouse prize for Accounting. He subsequently embarked on an intense career in corporate law practice, which was global in every sense of the word in that it took place in different hemispheres, and different corporate and cultural environments, converting him at the age of 26 into one of very few solicitors in the world authorised to practise corporate law in Australia, England and Wales, having notched up achievements that included an active role in the Vodafone / Air touch merger, one of the largest in history.

From captainship of cricket teams to coordinating and motivating workgroups, Rodney is a model for responsible leadership. Professors term him supremely competent, and team-mates as having subtle yet forceful powers of motivation guaranteed to resolve personality conflicts, and as a person who puts the group first. In addition to a timely sense of humour, he offers willingly and patiently shared financial expertise and a rare combination of acute competitiveness with generosity of spirit, gaining him respect and loyalty among peers. The IE Marketing and Admissions Department also enjoys his help with liaison activities, like assisting on both a personal and practical level with the settling in process of new students from a wide plethora of cultural backgrounds.

Rodney's excellent all-round academic performance is liberally punctuated by outstanding performances, including *. This success is particularly remarkable given that he was forced to miss, and subsequently make up, three weeks of class following a traumatic bereavement. His capacity for sheer hard work and willpower against adversity saw him through this very difficult time.

He is currently working on a report aimed at optimising IE students Spanish skills for the programme, and future projects include campaigning to encourage more legal professionals to do MBA programmes. Having worked in international law firms, he is convinced that many lawyers could benefit greatly from the programme, having seen good lawyers held back, or holding back their team, because they lacked the skills that make for a good manager.

A desire to move his career path toward a more creative and commercial environment, a taste for experiencing new cultures and an ambition to acquire fluency in a second major language brought Rodney to IE.  Global management toolkit apart, Rodney feels that the exceptional human relationships forged and a notably enhanced approach to decision making processes have equipped him well for his career turnaround. Here at IE we look forward to seeing him develop a truly outstanding career.