WINNER | Enrico Tranchina
Prior to starting his MBA at Imperial College Business School, Enrico’s professional experience was in the energy industry with bp in upstream exploration and development across Africa, the Caspian and the Middle East. He started out as a geologist, progressing through technical and strategic roles into subsurface team leadership. Passionate about the energy transition, he acted as Business Advisor to senior leadership through bp’s transformation into an Integrated Energy Company. His last job was leading the subsurface team responsible for reviewing bp’s non-operated joint venture investments in Angola, Algeria & the North Sea.
What do you hope to achieve through your MBA experience?
Business has a key role to play in the energy transition, leveraging finance, technology and innovation to provide solutions that will help society achieve Net Zero. I hope to play a part in shaping that future and firmly believe that the skills, knowledge and networks I gain from my MBA experience will better equip me to do this.
How will you use your MBA to further your career?
I will use the MBA to develop the business leadership, strategic thinking and commercial skills that will support my career progression towards more senior leadership positions focused on investing in and delivering the energy transition. The MBA will deepen my understanding of the global business environment within which the transition will take place, helping provide the knowledge and skillset to tackle a global issue.
What are your hopes of being part of the SMF network after business school?
Being part of the SMF network offers the unique opportunity to be part of an inspiring group of people, working across industry on some of society’s biggest challenges. I look forward to learning from and sharing experiences with this network in service of having a positive impact on society.
How do you hope to support SMF after you graduate from business school?
I am passionate about supporting students in their pursuit of further education and careers in STEM fields. Therefore, supporting the development of the next generation of STEM leaders as an SMF mentor to young engineers or as part of the Engineers in Business competitions is an important aim of mine as I go through my career.
How did you learn about the SMF scholarship?
I learned about the SMF scholarship through a former colleague and SMF awardee, who was part of my network on LinkedIn. This emphasised to me the impact networks can have on personal and career development and has made me even more excited about building networks on the MBA and being part of the SMF network.
How was your experience of applying for the scholarship application?
I found the scholarship application process really energising. It was inspiring to meet SMF alumni through the process and hear about their fascinating careers and achievements and how their MBA had been a foundation for that. This even helped firm up in my mind that an MBA was the right next step for me in my career.
What did you learn by going through the scholarship application process?
The application process, along with the opportunity to speak to SMF alumni at interview, was very useful in helping me reflect on my own strengths and development gaps and how an MBA would support my development. Ultimately, this has broadened my perspective of potential opportunities post-MBA, which is really exciting.