Stuart Lawrence (EMBA, 2002) reflects on how the skills attained as part of his Executive MBA from the Management School helped him secure senior roles in his subsequent career.

"I first began my career after graduating as a Mechanical Engineer in 1989, where I specialised in stress analysis and thermodynamics. Following this I found myself working in several project management and business development roles, whilst continuing as a practicing engineer, initially as a pressure vessel & welding engineer.

By 2000, I realised it was time for a new challenge; one that would enable me to use my engineering experience as well as my commercial skills. So, following the completion of an Executive MBA at LUMS in 2002, I moved into general management and business leadership. Since then, I have worked in a number of Managing Director and C-Suite positions before arriving at Rhino Doors in 2016.

The recurring theme throughout most of my career positions to date is that they have been in highly regulated industries, such as nuclear, defence, oil and gas, and infrastructure. I like to think that with my engineering background, I have been able to shape Rhino Doors into a company which truly understands the needs of clients and is able to flexibly deliver high-quality solutions. Despite no longer routinely practicing my engineering skills, the desire to innovate and create (a characteristic of all good engineers, I believe) has I think transferred into my business leadership activities.

For me there was very clearly one main area where the MBA assisted my future career, and then a second area that is somewhat less tangible but probably most important.

The most obvious benefit is the range of tools (the Management Toolbox as it is referred to) that you become familiar with, covering a broad range of topics, viz: strategy, marketing, finance, operational management and organisational behaviour. Without a doubt these were incredibly useful, particularly for someone like me just starting out in general management.

Perhaps more importantly, but less tangible as I have suggested, is how to use the toolbox of skills. Ultimately general management is all about decision making, and sometimes very major decisions. Making major decisions requires individuals to consider a wide array of facts, viewpoints and other factors. The best way to do this (ironically) is to ‘be comfortable in the grey’. This means to immerse yourself in data & viewpoints and simply mulling things over, before coming to a decision. It sounds easy but this is something that engineers and scientists often find difficult to do, because we are taught that our careers are driven by formula – black & white, right or wrong, etc.

The starting point for this change in thinking was a lecture given by Guy Claxton during my first MBA module in October 2000, covering his book ‘Hare Brained: Tortoise Mind – “patience and confusion--rather than rigor and certainty--are the essential precursors of wisdom”.

My advice to current students is simple. Your time at LUMS will equip you with a broad range of tools and experiences that will assist you in your future careers. Do not expect to be using everything all at once, however. More than twenty years after I started my MBA, I am still using elements of my learning experience, some of which was used for the first time many years after I graduated.

Remember: your education will last you a lifetime!"