Cranfield New Zealand Alumni Scholarship
21 November 2011
The NZ-UK Link Foundation supports a MBA scholarship offered by the Cranfield School of Management in the UK, enabling a New Zealander to attend the renowned Cranfield MBA course. The scholarship is open to outstanding candidates of New Zealand origin who intend to return to work in New Zealand after attending the year-long course.
Vivan Ho, a technology specialist from Auckland (pictured), is the first female and the fifth winner of the annual Cranfield NZ Alumni Scholarship. She is already part way through her year of study at Cranfield. On winning the award, she noted: "The combination of an intimate environment, quality international peer group and the School's reputation makes the programme a brilliant opportunity." Read her first report from Cranfield here.
The scholarship, worth $80,000, covers the tuition fees for the full-time MBA programme, a grant towards living expenses and the NZ-UK Link Foundation also provides £1,000 (approximately NZ$3,000) towards the cost of a return airfare. The New Zealand Institute of Management assists with the promotion of the scholarship and the selection of the winner.
Speaking on behalf of the Cranfield alumni in NZ, David Ryan said: "The Cranfield MBA is a great chance to take any ambitious young professional's career to the next level. It offers a rare opportunity to learn about best business practice around the world in all areas of management, but it's a very arduous and demanding experience. The School takes graduates with strong academic credentials who already have had worthwhile management careers."
The full-time MBA programme at the Cranfield School of Management is ranked as the best in the UK and fourth in Europe this year by The Economist. Alumni of the school include Ian Morrice, CEO of the Warehouse and John MacFarlane OBE, recently retired CEO of the ANZ Banking Group. The typical Cranfield MBA student is aged 31 with eight years work experience, and 70% of students are from outside the UK.
Application details
Applications for the 2012 Cranfield New Zealand Alumni Scholarship will close at the end of April 2012. The scholarship is available to New Zealand nationals or permanent residents currently resident in New Zealand and intending to return to work In New Zealand within a reasonable time period after the MBA. The application process is simple: applicants are required to meet normal entry requirements for the Cranfield MBA course and provide a short written case as to why they should receive the scholarship.
Further information about the Cranfield MBA and how to apply for the Cranfield NZ Alumni Scholarship is available here. Other enquiries can be directed to David Ryan, Cranfield alumni representative on 00 64 (0)21 543 449.
Previous winners
Rhys Welbourne, a port engineer now working with PrimePort in Timaru as manager of infrastructure, was the 2010 Cranfield NZ Alumni Scholar. The highlight of Cranfield for him was "in building relationships with the highly talented and diverse cohort; relationships that will last into the future. The experience has given me the confidence to move forward in my career and the tools to succeed in a business environment."
John Molloy was awarded the 2009 Scholarship and studied at Cranfield with six other New Zealanders. he says he has taken two things away from the MBA. "Firstly a deeper confidence in my ability to have a go at any project that comes my way and, secondly, a greater awareness of myself." He is now a product director at NZ-owned Zephyr Technology near Washington DC in the US.
New Zealander Scott Riddle was the 2008 Cranfield NZ Alumni Scholar. Prior to winning the award he was senior market development manager with NZ Trade and Enterprise Sydney and holds degrees in law and commerce from Victoria University of Wellington. He was awarded the scholarship following a competitive application process.
In 2007, Adrian Wood, a 34 year old area manager from the Invercargill office of New Zealand insurance company AMI, was the inaugural winner of the Cranfield New Zealand Alumni Scholarship. Seeing it as a “fantastic opportunity to grow as a leader and business person", Adrian found the MBA "invigorating, challenging, demanding and fun - sometimes all at the same time."
He commented at the end of the year that: "The course was incredible, building my technical understanding, and enabling me to learn and practice a wide range of skills and behaviours, which built on my strengths and help me address the weaknesses that previously would have discounted my performance." Click here for more of his comments.
Files
- Adrian Wood
- Download: Cranfield__Adrian_Wood_.pdf (39.69 KB)
- Vivian Ho
- Download: Vivian_Ho_-_Cranfield_NZ_Alumni_Scholar_2011.pdf (191.02 KB)