Lent Term was supersonic. 8 courses in 2 months. With more group projects and presentations, it finally felt like a proper business school semester. Each term of the Cambridge MBA has its own theme and this one taught me:
The Power of Electives:
When I wrote about electives on my MBA application, I couldn’t fully grasp how transformational they can be. ‘New Venture Finance’ put me in the shoes of both investors and entrepreneurs. Concepts like cap tables, convertible instruments, and tag-along provisions opened my eyes to the complexities of start up funding. Meanwhile, ‘Geopolitics & Financial Regulation’ was all about understanding the fragmented regulatory landscape and how global powerhouses set the rules of the game. And ‘Managing Big Data Analysis’? Ummm let’s just say, the next time someone throws around p-values to make their case, I’ll be ready with some tough questions.
Fundamentals of SQL and Python:
If there’s one thing every CorpFin leader has told me in the past 6 months, it’s this – “Excel alone won’t cut it anymore. The earlier you pick up Python/SQL, the easier life becomes in FP&A.” So, I finally took the plunge with a 2 week Python workshop run at Cambridge Judge Business School – diving into operators, data structures, and packages through hands-on assessments in PyCharm. Now my goal is to keep building on this foundation with advanced courses over the next few months.
Negotiations Lab:
Undoubtedly my favourite MBA course of this term. Growing up in a high power-distance culture, I always thought negotiation was about being the loudest or most dominant person in the room. But over five intense simulations, I developed the skill of creatively using emotions and strategic levers to craft a winning stance. The cherry on top? A masterclass from Lord Karan Bilimoria on Brexit negotiations from the Upper House’s perspective and a session with NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger on problem solving in space.
While most students take a breather, the MBAs at Cambridge are gearing up for their Global Consulting Project. Over the next 4 weeks, our MBA team will be working with Intesa Sanpaolo (Italy’s largest bank) to design a new valuation framework for evaluating fintech start ups for M&A. Time to go beyond the traditional DCFs and EV multiples. This is where finance meets innovation
Here’s to the second half!