WINNER | Alexander Iley

Prior to starting his MBA at Harvard Business School, Alex led business development at V.Ships Leisure, the leader for outsourced cruise ship management. Working closely with the CEO and a global team, major projects included the start-up of a cruise line in China, the response to the unprecedented collapse of Genting HK and the acquisition of Azamara by Private Equity and its subsequent de-coupling from Royal Caribbean Group. He has extensive international experience having been based in the UK, USA, Monaco, Singapore and Cyprus, combined with time at sea on cruise ships for training and technical projects.

What do you hope to achieve through your MBA experience?

I hope to become a well-rounded, responsible leader through the development of my leadership skills and strategic mindset. Harvard’s case study method is based on active class discussions which will challenge my perspectives and enable me to learn from the experience of others from a diverse range of backgrounds and industries. Many of the challenges we face in the world today, and in particular climate change, require inter-industry, global co-operation. This exposure to a wide variety of industries and their respective approaches to common challenges will, I am sure, be extremely helpful as I navigate my post MBA career.

How will you use your MBA to further your career?

Ever since going on my first cruise at the age of four I’ve been passionate about the cruise industry. I envisage the MBA supporting my progression towards executive management, from where I aim to help drive the transformation of the industry into a sustainable one. In the shorter-term post-MBA, I would like to develop my industry experience in strategy and consumer sales and marketing to complement my existing operational and technical experience.

What are your expectations of being part of the SMF network after business school?

I’m excited to become part of the SMF network and to engage with the community. I’m particularly looking forward to being able to learn from the accomplished existing Fellows and, in time, contribute my own experiences for the benefit of others. Within days of being awarded the SMF scholarship, the network was already demonstrating its openness and willingness to help by making industry introductions.

How do you hope to support SMF after you graduate from business school?

I’m a strong believer in getting people excited about engineering and business at an early age. I was fortunate to benefit from this advocacy from a young age through the Arkwright Scholarship programme and the Engineering Leaders Scholarship (ELS) programme from the Royal Academy of Engineering. I look forward to continuing to be an advocate for future talent and intend to be actively involved in the ELS programme which is a great steppingstone to eventually studying for an MBA with SMF support.

How did you learn about the SMF scholarship?

I first learnt about the SMF scholarship at an annual training and network event during my time as a Royal Academy of Engineering ELS awardee. I recently found my final report for that award from eight years ago. In it I wrote that an MBA with an SMF scholarship was an ambition down the road, so it’s been in the works for a while!

What did you learn by going through the scholarship application process?

The interview itself was really interesting, and dare I say enjoyable. It was very engaging to discuss the future challenges of the energy transition with such an experienced interview panel and I learnt a lot from their perspectives. They were also forthcoming with some useful advice on how to approach the internship during the MBA to benefit from the opportunity to explore different industries and sectors.

What tip would you give to someone seeking financial support to do an MBA?

I would recommend starting as early as possible. University websites, like Harvard’s, have a lot of information and advice on what support is available and potential external scholarship opportunities. Many of the external scholarships allow you to apply prior to getting an offer and often have deadlines earlier than MBA admission decision days – so don’t wait!

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