The online MBA helps technology and entrepreneurship graduates step up their careers

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Studying an online MBA gives you the ability to gain management skills, build your global network, and develop broad business insights, all without having to relocate or give up your job.

And these programs are becoming more and more popular. According to research from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), global demand for online MBA programs grew 44% in 2020.

Here’s how the online MBA program at the Maastricht School of Management helped two alumni advance their careers without having to take a break from work.

New perspectives on social enterprise — Florisa De Leo Magambi

An online MBA has helped Florisa De Leo Magambi (below, right) take her social enterprise, Kibébe, to the next level.

Kibébé is an African lifestyle brand that offers a range of toys and gifts handmade by refugee artisans in Malawi, using local chitenje fabric. All proceeds support There is Hope, a non-profit organization that provides vocational training and scholarships to people living in Malawi’s largest refugee camp, Dzaleka.

Florisa founded Kibébé in 2012, after moving from a company job in the UK to volunteer in Malawi. In Dzaleka, he met talented artisans who were selling handmade items to support their families. The problem was that sometimes these items were out of date and lacked universal appeal.

In the same time frame, Florisa’s first child was born with a disability, but she couldn’t find sensory toys suitable for her. He had identified a gap in the market.

“These two things together led me to found Kibébé”, explains Florisa.

“The people around me were very skilled and I understood the tastes and needs of people with disposable income. I thought that if we got together, we could create something doable. “

Florisa’s formula worked. Kibébé became much more popular than she initially expected and began to see opportunities for even greater growth. But as Florisa worked on planning the organization’s future, she realized there were gaps in her knowledge of the business.

This is where an online MBA came into play. Studying online meant that Florisa could access an MBA without leaving Malawi, Kibébé or her young family behind. MSM stood out for its generous Woman Ambassador Scholarship, which provides up to 50% of tuition fees to women with exceptional leadership experience.

The international program cohort was another interesting feature and throughout the program, learning from these peers was a real highlight for Florisa.

“Because they came with a different world view, they often had a new view of my daily challenges,” he explains. “Kibébe has to be workable, so it was nice to be in an environment where most of the people come from a commercial background.”

The online MBA also prompted Florisa to expand Kibébé’s reach in the United States, leveraging social media marketing to spread the word. It is currently considering drop shipping, which would allow the organization to fulfill every order from Malawi without intermediaries.

Florisa would highly recommend the online MBA to other non-traditional students working in areas such as nonprofits, social entrepreneurship or government.

“The skills taught in the program are skills that every nonprofit professional should have at some level,” he reflects. “And getting an MBA has done a lot for my confidence.”

Bridging the Research to Management Gap — Ferry Winter

Ferry Winter’s chemical experience has led him to go a long way in his career with petrochemical giant Shell. But when he started taking on more managerial responsibilities, he wanted to support this know-how with a broader business sense.

When he transitioned to the role of general manager in Shell’s catalysis department, Ferry decided it was time to fill in the gaps in his knowledge with an MBA. Since he traveled a lot for work and had family commitments to think about, an online program was the obvious choice and MSM fit the bill perfectly.

“MSM’s online MBA is very popular, and so is the school,” says Ferry.

During the program, one of Ferry’s most important skills was corporate communication. Having to interact with classmates asynchronously, she learned to write thoughtful responses that would generate further discussion.

“My writing has improved a lot,” he reflects. “You need to be aware of the number of words and phrases you use and know how to communicate concisely.

“I keep that in mind today when I work with a team of chemists.”

Another highlight was the interaction with classmates from different functions and sectors, who were able to share their knowledge and benefit from Ferry’s knowledge in exchange.

“I really learned a lot from listening to the experiences of other people in the cohort,” he says. “It’s fascinating because they work in different businesses and different areas.”

Ferry graduated in 2020 and recently took on a new role as general manager for the Shell technology center based in Amsterdam. He will be responsible for everything from community building to external relations management, site operation and safety.

Despite the challenge, he feels confidently gifted with his MBA’s insights.

“I expect that I will use 80% to 90% of what I have learned in the MBA on a daily basis,” he concludes.

More information on the Maastricht School of Management (MSM):

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