Profile of an MBA entrepreneur: Charlotte Mason

For many MBA applicants, the sheer amount of choice between program type, business school, or even specialization can be overwhelming.

While traditional full-time MBA programs offered by the top business schools, normally of either one- or two-years in length, usually require at least a couple of years worth of work experience, for those with over six years of work experience a further type of MBA program becomes available: the executive MBA.

On executive MBA (EMBA) programs, enrolled students are able to mix study with work, as contact hours and lectures are scheduled outside of office hours, and many cater for those commuting internationally.

Charlotte Mason, a UK based executive MBA alumni from INSEAD in France, chose the EMBA route primarily because of the opportunity to practice what she learned on the program straight away in her role as head of HR, finance and customer relationship management for Diagonal Consulting Ltd, an international IT consultancy firm specializing in systems integration.

“Full-time study was not an option as I wanted to apply the skills I learned on-the-job throughout the executive MBA program,” Mason explains to TopMBA.com. “I also wanted the flexibility that the modular program provides. Attending campus for one to two weeks, every six or seven weeks allowed me free reign to plan my study time around my life when not on campus. With the executive program, school time teaches the art of delegation in the workplace rapidly. It was the perfect combination.”

“Studying for an executive MBA was one of the best decisions I have ever made – I would not change it one bit. At the time of application, I was not entirely sure of all the reasons to study for an executive MBA. However, this hesitation and uncertainty quickly dissipated upon starting the program. The skills you learn, people you meet and quality of faculty are second-to-none.”

MBA entrepreneurship

A further reason for Mason enrolling on her EMBA program was to prepare herself for her long-term entrepreneurial dream. However, she witnessed the benefits of graduating from a top business school immediately, securing a high-level promotion at her existing company.

“Following graduation in December 2007, within three months I was promoted to the operations and finance director of a £47 million (US$76 million) turnover company. The company was failing and I headed the board level turnaround program.

“Having successfully completed the turnaround, I left corporate in October 2009 to make the career transition that underpinned my INSEAD application – entrepreneurship. After a short period of self-employment in an angel investment network, in 2011 I have finally gone it alone. This year I am launching three businesses – WhoHowNow, Cracking Boards and SiliconIOM.”

However, while Mason always had entrepreneurial aspirations, her journey since graduating from her executive MBA program was not quite as she planned.

“In early 2008, I anticipated leaving my employer – joining another corporate in a more senior position, primarily to recoup the course fees. I stayed with my employer, gained promotion, left corporate, became self-employed and am now launching three businesses. So my journey to date has been completely unplanned and not what I expected – but it has been a fascinating ride, I have loved every minute and would not change it one bit.

“I feel that 2012 will be the most rewarding year as I complete the transition into the entrepreneurial world by gaining more traction in my ventures and applying the entrepreneurial skills learned at school.”