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TRAVELLER
POLLY McMASTER
The 31-year-old is co-founder of a
new fashion brand called The Fold,
which designs and sells clothes for
“professionally chic” women. However,
this new venture is at odds with a more
sober career background…
“I started out with a PhD in virology,
then went into strategy consulting,
before moving into private equity. I
was involved in investing in healthcare
businesses and in 2009 my employers
suggested I study for an MBA.
“I took a two-year secondment to
study at London Business School,
with the intention of building my
‘business toolkit’ and returning to
work with more well-rounded skills.
Then everything changed. It was a real
opportunity to stop and think, and to
get off the treadmill that I was on. I
met my business partner, Cheryl, on the
“It was a chance
to stop and
think, to get off
the treadmill
”
THE STYLE PROFESSIONAL
course and we had the same idea.
“We both had personal experience of
getting dressed up for work in manly
suits and we wanted to give women a
more fashionable alternative. The course
was a springboard for the business. We
learned all the necessary skills, worked
on the business plan and, crucially, built
up a valuable network of contacts.
One of the reasons I chose to study
in London was because it’s so easy to
get around Europe, and lots of students
do exchanges. I travelled to Munich
and Madrid extensively during the
course because they’re both important
hubs and the businesswomen there are
potential customers.
Cheryl and I have been working at
the business full-time since July, and it’s
the best thing that could have happened
to us. We’re now doing something we’re
extremely passionate about.”
HIGH
FLYERS
IT’S COLD OUTSIDE.
Christmas cheer has made way for the January blues, work
feels even more like a slog and you’d rather be anywhere else. Sound familiar?
It needn’t be. The start of a new year is the perfect moment to shake things up
professionally, and how better to do it than with an MBA? Long considered one
of the world’s most effective business qualifications, the Master’s of Business
Administration is also, increasingly, creating a new jet set. With the rise in
availability of air travel across Europe, students are increasingly choosing a school
far from home, and these same routes offer new entrepreneurs a ready-made client
network. With a fresh intake of students starting this month, we asked four recent
graduates to tell us why going back to school was the best decision they ever made…
WANT TO GET AHEAD IN 2012? WE SPEAK TO FOUR NEW BUSINESS-SCHOOL
GRADUATES TO FIND OUT HOW DOING AN MBA TOOK THEIR CAREER TO THE
NEXT LEVEL – AND HELPED THEM TO SEE THE WORLD AT THE SAME TIME
S I M E O N D E L A T O R R E
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