Bangor Business School
Feedback... the breakfast of champions

The first semester of the groundbreaking CBMBA programme came to a close at the end of June 2011 as the existing students completed their face-to-face revision sessions and examinations in London.

The CBMBA team took the opportunity to collect their feedback and also agreed to profile a number of them and their reasons for taking on this challenging development process. Here is just a small sample of the students and what they had to say.

Joseph Healy

Joseph Healy is the Group Executive for National Australia Bank with responsibility for their largest division in Australia – Business Banking.

The biggest benefit that he has enjoyed from the CBMBA so far relates to the pragmatic nature of the material: “I saw the qualification advertised in the international edition of a UK newspaper in Australia at a time when I was looking for something that would give me real ‘practical’ benefits in my role – and this qualification has done precisely that.”

Joseph was very positive about all aspects of the programme, but particularly he commented on the “depth” of the material and cited the example of how the programme had helped him prepare for Basel 3.

Alan Frain

The accelerated entry route was one of the reasons that Alan Frain, a Senior Director with Lloyds Banking Group Acquisition Finance business chose the CBMBA.

“I was attracted to the qualification to develop a better understanding of how the industry is evolving – and I have found the support given by the professors to be excellent.”

Alan had completed his Chartered Banker qualification a number of years ago, but felt that the time was right to take his learning to the next level.

When asked what had been the greatest benefit of his involvement to date, he summarised by saying that the whole process had encouraged a greater depth and breadth to his thinking.

George Phuza

George, the Chief Credit Officer at the Opportunity International Bank of Malawi, found the Chartered Banker MBA through the web – when he decided that he wanted to earn a specialist banking qualification to support his first degree and enhance his banking career.

He decided on the CBMBA because he wanted an in-depth understanding of his chosen modules and an international perspective of the banking industry in general.

“The biggest benefit so far,” George says, “was the material which has helped me to make a contribution to the organisation’s strategic plan – particularly in the area of marketing and risk management.”

Julie Philp

Being in an HR role, Julie considered that a Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) qualification would be her next, natural step in her professional development – until she saw the supplement in the Chartered Banker magazine describing the CBMBA.

“I considered the various options available and concluded that a ‘broader’ qualification in banking would serve me better.”

Once Julie began working through her materials and participating in the webex online tutorials she recognised how the “journey” really helped her to appreciate the major changes her organisation had been through and how best to handle the challenges ahead.

George Milward Chirwa

George is the Risk Compliance Manager with NBS Bank Ltd, Malawi. An alumni of Bangor Business School with eight years’ industry expertise, he joined the CBMBA in January 2011.

He commented that due to recent updates in regulations through the Financial Services Act in Malawi, he will be better placed and prepared for the change.

George recently attended the student revision session in London where he commented: “The learning offered through the CBMBA will give me the opportunity to network with global banking professionals and has increased my confidence in banking issues.”

Jennifer Mallon

Jennifer Mallon is a full-time Relationship Manager with the Chartered Banker Institute and she decided to take the qualification after a number of years of in-house training and financial adviser qualifications with Clydesdale Bank in order to receive global recognition for her knowledge.

“I was pleasantly surprised that the actual learning required 7/8 hours a week for me and not the 15 indicated as the norm.”

Jen was eligible for the accelerated programme and has chosen International Banking as one of her electives to broaden her awareness in this specialised field.

Ben Anwuri

Ben Anwuri is Deputy General Manager/Divisional Head, Operations, at Finbank Plc in Nigeria with responsibility for overseeing Domestic and International Operations at the Head Office as well as Banking Operations in over 180 branches spread across Nigeria. He is an Honorary Senior Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria (HCIB), with 19 years of banking experience spanning across credit and marketing, bank auditing/compliance and operations.

Ben was attracted to the CBMBA because of the dual qualification it offered and the course content, which offers up-to-date knowledge and skills relevant to current global trends, enabling him to have a global perspective to issues.

In his current role, Ben went on to comment: “As a member of ALCO (Asset & Liability Committee), the course brings new knowledge and concepts especially in risk management into the workplace which has aided me in being able to share experience with fellow workers.”

Michael Graham

Michael manages divisional communications for Lloyds Banking Group and has six years’ industry experience.

He joined the accelerated route of the CBMBA programme which was featured in the Chartered Banker magazine.

Michael comments: “The research methods and learning implications on the programme have been helpful when applied to real-life situations, and the level of detail joins the dots across different disciplines.”

Ross Mackenzie

Ross is an Associate Director with Bank of Scotland, having run the LIBOR Liabilities Treasury Team in Scotland for Lloyds Banking Group since 2009.

Ross joined the CBMBA on the accelerated route via the Chartered Banker Institute. He comments: “Everyone working for banks is going to have to think about their qualifications. An MBA gives you the more comprehensive edge and the content of CBMBA offers a broad selection of modules.”

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