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4 IMAGE Smurfit scholars share how the MBA programme has changed their careers
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We catch up with four recipients of the IMAGE MBA Scholarship at UCD Smurfit School, to see how their careers have developed since undertaking the programme.
If you’re looking to make a change in your career, further study can be a great way to acquire new skills, gain insight into your own strengths, and network with a wide range of peers.
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School is known internationally for its postgraduate business programmes. Accredited for more than 20 years, it is one of an elite group of schools worldwide to hold the “triple crown” of accreditation from three centres of business and academic excellence, EQUIS (Europe), AACSB (US) and AMBA (UK). Its full-time MBA programme was recently ranked as Ireland’s only Financial Times Top 100 Full-Time MBA, placing as 73rd on this prestigious global listing.
The UCD Smurfit School MBA is designed for highly ambitious professionals who want to advance or change their careers and enhance their professional prospects. Students benefit from an outstanding and challenging academic curriculum delivered by world-renowned faculty within an intimate classroom setting. MBA applicants can undertake either the 1 year full-time MBA programme or the 2 year part-time Executive MBA.
IMAGE is delighted to once again partner with UCD Smurfit School in offering one MBA Scholarship to a female candidate to cover up to 100% tuition fees (valued up to €37,910) for a choice of the full-time MBA, or Executive part-time MBA, commencing August 2025. The scholarship is open to all successful female applicants for the MBA who are resident in Ireland. The closing date for applications is April 30, 2025. To find out more and apply, click here.
If you’d like to find out more, the school is hosting a Women on the MBA Webinar on Wednesday, March 12 from 7-8.15pm. The event will include an overview of Smurfit MBA programmes and feature a panel discussion with current students and alumni who will share their experiences and insights. For full details and registration, go to smurfitschool.ie/womenonthemba.
To show the impact the MBA can have, we caught up with four previous IMAGE MBA scholars, to find out how their careers have progressed.
Grace Milton, IMAGE Scholar 2015
Completing the Executive MBA at Smurfit Business School was pivotal to my career and leadership development. In the decade since, I’ve worked at a senior level in public affairs consultancy with the world’s largest communications firm Edelman, in the retail sector leading government relations for Tesco Ireland and now, in food and health as head of corporate affairs with Danone Ireland. The MBA was the catalyst I needed at that stage in my career to push forward and progress in line with my ambitions and values.
The benefits of the MBA are numerous and probably hard to quantify – they range from friendship, teamwork and forging personal connections, to growing my professional network and in general, simply broadening my perspective. Of course, the technical knowledge that comes from studying subjects such as corporate finance, corporate strategy, negotiation, organisational behaviour and leadership is so valuable – as is the “real world” experience gained from the Capstone project – where students provide consultancy to a business that helps it address a specific challenge. The main benefit of all of this was that I began to move into senior leadership roles in some great organisations and put what I’d learned into practice – still of huge value ten years later.
The MBA definitely cemented some of the values I’ve always tried to take through my career – in particular that generally speaking, if something is hard work, it’s worth it. The Executive MBA is demanding – balancing work, lectures, projects, study and real life is a challenge, but it’s so rewarding in the end – I was fortunate that my employer at the time was particularly supportive, and my husband, family and friends were very understanding!
I also really learned the strength of the collective because much of the Executive MBA is structured around team-based projects, as well as individual learning. Supporting each other as a team, holding each other to account, celebrating wins, acknowledging when things aren’t going to plan, and accepting help when you need it.
I think if anyone is thinking about doing an MBA, they effectively already have their mind made up – they should just back themselves and go for it. It truly is one of the most valuable investments that someone can make in themselves, their personal development and their career.
Katrina Enros, IMAGE Scholar 2019
Since completing the MBA, I am fortunate to have found myself in an impact-driven, purpose-led career. I work for LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network with a vision to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. It’s a lofty goal, and I feel privileged to support organisations in our communities that are working toward it. I help bring our vision to life as a convenor of nonprofits, jobseekers/professionals overcoming barriers, and LinkedIn’s resources (platform and people) to influence positive change. My role on the Social Impact team allows me to contribute to meaningful projects that align with my values, make a tangible difference in people’s lives, and contribute back to the business’ goals. It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey, and I am excited about the future.
The MBA pushed me in ways I hadn’t thought possible. It taught me how to get more from myself, how to be more effective, and how to optimise my efforts by knowing when to rest and have fun. The experience was transformative, helping me develop a deeper understanding of my strengths and areas for growth. It also provided me with a robust network of peers and mentors who continue to inspire and support me.
The MBA taught me many things, but the standouts are the importance of strategy, efficiency, and collaboration. It emphasised the value of different perspectives and how they can lead to innovative solutions. I learned how to approach problems with a strategic mindset, streamline processes for better outcomes, and work effectively with diverse teams. These lessons have been invaluable in my career, enabling me to navigate complex challenges and drive impactful initiatives.
An MBA will push you out of your comfort zone and help you discover new capabilities. It’s an opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, and to build a network that can support you throughout your career. Do not let the potential costs limit you – I’m incredibly grateful for the support of the IMAGE scholarship; there are many other opportunities for financial support, so seek out advice if this is your dream. And finally, embrace the journey, be open to learning, and make the most of every opportunity. The experience will be demanding, but the rewards are well worth it.
Caitlin McBride, IMAGE Scholar 2020
I recently celebrated my third anniversary working at Google in Dublin. Currently, I am a market lead in the UK retail team, which involves partnering with C-levels at British retailers on designing their marketing strategies and driving revenue incrementality through their marketing investments with Google. I joined the company in January 2022, four months after finishing my MBA, and during that time, I have worked with some of the UK’s biggest retail brands driving new customer acquisition strategies, provided market analysis and planned new market and category expansion pathways to drive growth. I am also working on a children’s book, inspired since becoming a first-time mum to my daughter Leah, who is three months old.
With three years of hindsight to reflect on, I can see how the MBA really benefited me. Prior to enrolment, I spent 11 years working as a journalist, a job which I loved… until I didn’t. This was during the early days of Covid in summer 2020 and I was having a career-induced existential crisis. I had long wanted to springboard from media into tech and the pandemic gave me the gumption to finally go for it.
But, during that process, two things became clear to me: 1. Transferable skills are not always apparent, and 2. I needed something to help bridge that experience gap and equip me with the tools I needed to excel in this next chapter. For me, that meant completing my long harboured ambition of completing an MBA to give me a strong foundation of practical skills to guide me over the next few decades of my career, building a new business network, and opening up professional doors I would not have otherwise considered.
The Smurfit MBA gave me a solid foundation of skills I needed to excel in leadership roles – e.g., financial literacy, strategic analysis – but one of the most memorable moments was pitching an ambitious plan to C-levels at one of the world’s biggest tech companies during my Capstone project.
Equally, I credit the MBA with copper fastening my ‘soft skills’ such as communication and collaboration, through the shared project work, which is a big part of the academic curriculum. Until my MBA, I had spent much of my career deeply ensconced in publishing and I loved learning how my colleagues from different professional backgrounds approached a problem. Whether it was engineering, sales, finance or nursing, everyone brought something different to the table that I could learn from (and hopefully give them the same in return).
I had been thinking about an MBA for years before actually doing it. The stars aligned for me and the timing was right, so I could commit to it 100% as a full-time student. It’s important to understand it’s a big undertaking, but, like most big things – what’s worth having is worth working for.
I would recommend anyone considering it to reach out to the Smurfit team and enquire about what the programme involves as they will be a huge help. Ask to speak to alumni who have a similar professional background to hear about their experience and similarly, do some LinkedIn detective work and reach out to past alumni directly to ask their feedback. I still hear from prospective students all the time and meet with them on VC or over email answering questions about the programme.
Study up on what the entrance exam (the GMAT) looks like and prepare accordingly. Don’t hold yourself back because you think you can’t or it seems too difficult. You would be surprised at what you can achieve and you will have such a sense of accomplishment when you actually do. That feeling is worth its weight in gold.
