Sainsbury Management Fellow, James Dunbar is an Analyst,
Refining & Logistics Technology on the Future Leaders Programme
at BP.
Has an MBA has changed my life? Back in 2006, I was in a
Middle Eastern desert with the Royal Air Force,
reviewing whether we had enough PGMs for combat operations.
Here I am in 2012, looking at the capital portfolio for
BP, reviewing whether we have enough PGMs for business
operations.
In 6 years, I've gone from worrying about Precision-Guided
Munitions, to Project General Managers. Anyone who has ever
changed companies or industries will talk about wrestling with a
new business dialect. But it's not just the language that I
needed to make this change; it's the knowledge to lead at both a
tactical and strategic level. That's what the MBA gave
me.
Commissioning into the Royal Air Force in 2002 was my first
career-changing leap. The military encourages officers to
accept leadership responsibility very early in their career and I
thrived in these circumstances, building on engineer training to
successfully deploy military aircraft to trouble spots around the
world and manage projects across the Tornado fleet. Leading
110 technicians on operations, mentoring junior officers and
managing discipline challenges are experiences that will stay with
me forever - and not easily explained to some of my more sheltered
colleagues! My RAF service also helped me complete my
chartership and a second undergraduate degree (in engineering
management). After a hugely enjoyable six years, I felt that
my future career in the RAF would re-tread familiar roles and I
wanted a new challenge.
A stint as a project manager for Bombardier Transportation
helped me quickly realise how much I didn't know about applying my
experience to the commercial sector! I needed to reorientate
my leadership skills to managing in the business context - much as
I had developed military knowledge for a successful career with the
RAF. An MBA seemed to provide the transition I was looking
for.
After a lengthy application process, I was lucky enough to get a
place on the full-time MBA at London Business School (LBS).
This world-leading institution reflected environments I really
enjoy: highly collaborative, very academically challenging and
employing a global view. Deciding to undertake an MBA is a
big decision - it's a massive investment. Winning the funding of a
Sainsbury Management
Fellowship (SMF), awarded through the Royal Academy of Engineering,
was the decisive factor in making this second career-changing
leap. I think an MBA should give you three real advantages:
technical skills, commercial leadership skills, and a powerful peer
network. That's exactly what I got from LBS, taking courses as
diverse as advanced corporate finance, strategy, business
communication, acquisition management, negotiating &
bargaining, risk analysis, and accounting.
The scholarship not only enabled me to go to business school,
but also gave me access to an invaluable network of nearly 300 SMF
professionals with a vast range of experience and knowledge. This
network led me to several academic studies during my MBA, my first
consulting contracts after graduation and continues to be a source
of professional advice - as well as a great advertisement for the
benefits of engineers as industry leaders.
After the MBA, I wanted to work in a global engineering-related
business that actually produced something tangible, where I could
use the skills to make a strategic difference, but still benefit
from my experience of managing in a safety-critical
environment. Whilst at LBS, I was lucky enough to attend the
CBI conference, where I heard CEO Bob Dudley talk about the
turnaround of BP. I had not seriously considered the energy
industry before, but the values he described directly matched what
I was looking for. Fortunately, the company was looking to
start its
Future Leaders Programme, to develop a more diverse leadership
talent pool in the downstream business. They recruit
externally for individuals with post-graduate qualifications,
relevant professional experience, international exposure and, most
importantly, leadership potential. The structured development
plan also helps in getting up to speed on the breadth of different
global business areas BP work in.
So here I am, working on BP's strategic plan. I miss the
camaraderie of the military, but professionally I haven't looked
back. Challenging, continual professional development has
always been important to me, and without the MBA I certainly
wouldn't be enjoying the career I am now.
