Prior to coming on the MSc E-Business and Innovation programme, my ambition was to develop efficient IT solutions to support businesses. EBIN could allow me to acquire essential knowledge in business and information systems. I was particularly interested in the Innovation module, which allowed me to explore different innovations and the use of theoretical frameworks to manage innovation processes. I believed that the Management In Context module would provide me with opportunities to gain insights into management issues through real case studies.

During the programme, I particularly enjoyed the IBM workshop because it gave me the opportunity to appreciate real-world challenges around IT architecture. The chance to learn from IBM senior architects and work in a team to solve a real case study helped me to further develop essential technical knowledge and soft skills, which became invaluable for my current role.

I also had the opportunity to attend the EBIN Leadership Day at Forrest Hills. I not only enjoyed working on different group projects in an outdoor environment but the experience also enhanced my ability to lead a large team effectively as I was selected as Project Manager.

My most memorable Lancaster moment is being given a chance to work with the Lancaster University Careers Team and organise the prestigious FLUX 2014. FLUX is the higher education sector’s largest annual student business competition, which encourages entrepreneurship and bridges the gap between education and work. There were teams from 13 British universities and experts from different companies (e.g. IBM, Deloitte and BAE Systems) taking part in this event.

During my leisure time, I took part in the Badminton Society, which allowed me to enjoy a sport while meeting new people.

Project experience

For my consultancy project, I worked on a research group project with Deloitte in which we were looking at the topic of the ‘CIOs of the future’. The experience of working within a highly motivated team and engaging with the world’s largest consultancy firm was absolutely fantastic. As I found leadership to be one of the most important skills for the CIO, I chose ‘The CIO’s transition process from a supply-side leader to a demand-side leader’ as my individual dissertation topic.

I am currently doing a two-year fast-track management programme at Amey, which allows me to rotate around the business and move into a management role at the end of the programme. My first rotation is a secondment at the Centre of IT Services in Efficiency and Quality department of Ferrovial Services (Amey's parent company) in Madrid, Spain. As I have been involved with analysing complex processes and identifying optimal solutions, many of the skills which I gained from EBIN have been invaluable, including approaches to managing complexity, project management and innovation. 

I strongly recommend EBIN for anyone who is searching for an MSc programme which fills the gap between IT and business. I enjoyed every moment in Lancaster so I have no doubt that if you come here you will enjoy both the University and the city as much as I did.