Before the Liverpool MBA, Dr Steve Powell was working as a consultant interventional radiologist and clinical director in a teaching hospital.
Why did you decide to study an MBA? What were you hoping to achieve?
I decided to study an MBA to facilitate my career transition from hands-on medical practice towards leadership and management roles.
My initial plan was to become a director in healthcare strategy and take on more commercial projects.
Why did you decide to study at the University of Liverpool?
The University of Liverpool management school has an excellent reputation and is among the top 100 global MBA programs.
The Liverpool MBA focuses heavily on leadership while covering all the important core subject matter. Through modules it allows the candidate to personalise their degree.
Additionally, there is excellent career advice that develops complementary skills.
What skills and knowledge do you feel you developed?
Where do I start – I learnt so much. I overcame a key knowledge gap in strategy development and financial analysis.
Implementing these subject areas through group work allowed me to develop negotiation and leadership skills.
What did you learn from the MBA guest speakers/ masterclasses?
The series of guest speakers and masterclasses brings subject matter experts to the students in an informal networking environment.
Building a network is key to a successful MBA and the addition of this evening programme delivers network development at scale.
Have you made use of the MBA alumni network?
The alumni network is a massive group of individuals from broad backgrounds with a wide range of interests.
There are regular alumni events with key speakers and plenty of networking opportunities. There are also social events as even MBAs have to remember it’s not all work, work, work.
Did you make use of the careers support available?
The careers support alongside the MBA is excellent. The dedicated MBA team support career transition, job finding and introductions to appropriate organisations.
There is the opportunity for regular 1:1s which explore how and when is best to make a next career move.
What aspects of the programme did you most enjoy/find most useful?
The programme takes a holistic approach to development using theoretical, practical and gaming to educate the candidates.
The latter aspects bring a sense of realism sometimes missed with pure academic study.
How did you manage to juggle MBA study with work and family commitments?
You’d have to ask my wife. You can work and do the MBA but you will have to give up personal time to complete the coursework.
I found it hugely enjoyable though and the year passed quickly, all too quickly.
What did you most enjoy about living in Liverpool?
It’s home for me so while no surprise I was able to study to the highest standards without moving away.
Where are you working now, what is your job title and what does your role entail?
I am currently chief diagnostic officer at Rutherford Diagnostics, a subsidiary of the Proton Partners International Group.
My role involves day to day running and development of the company that provides medical diagnostic capacity to the UK and beyond.
It’s very different when compared to my former role, but the MBA helped me prepare for the change.
Do you feel the MBA has helped your career progression?
I wanted to head into a leadership role and 3 years on I was appointed to my current role.
Without the MBA and the knowledge and skills I learnt, I don’t think I would have been ready to make the transition.
The MBA programme allows you to have sufficient thinking time to give perspective to where you are and where you are heading to allow you to make that transition in a measured way.