MBA Alumni: Julia Glenn

Prior to completing her MBA in 2011, Julia had enjoyed had a glittering career in financial services working in various parts of the world such as New York and Hong Kong before making a life style change to relocate to Norwich.

How have the skills you acquired from studying for your MBA made a difference in your career development?

The key lesson that the UEA MBA taught me was that success in learning and in business is all about being curious. It’s not about being clever. It’s being interested, it’s wanting to find the answer to things, wanting to understand how people work and wanting to make things happen. My favourite module was Economics. I’ve always loved economics and looking for patterns and translating these into ideas.

Having an MBA is great and does provide a toolkit which can help you unpack and unpick different business situations. It’s a great qualification to put down on your CV, but real achievement is making things work in the real world and applying those skills sensitively in the workplace.

As a successful business women, what tips can you give to current students or recent graduates in their future careers?

Never think that you are not good enough – never be scared to try something different. Don’t be afraid to fail. If you fail you can try again. Unless you fail you don’t know what it is to succeed!