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MBA gives Jeffries the right toolset for management
Gary Jeffries, chairman of the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and managing director of his own professional services company Hughes Ellard, was awarded an MBA by Portsmouth Business School in 2009 and has since gone from strength to strength
“Studying for my MBA was certainly challenging on a number of levels, but what I learned and the different people and ideas I was exposed to at university has been of immense benefit.
“I studied the MBA part-time, on the executive stream, and my cohort included people who had not been near a university for years but who were, if you like, putting an academic wrapper around many years of cumulated professional experience. And there were others on the cohort who had already studied to masters level and had masses of academic qualifications.
“It was a real mix and because there were students from the business, charity and public sectors, it opened your eyes to the challenges other sectors face. That was one of the most valuable things about studying at Portsmouth.
“Working with clients is what excites me professionally and I really enjoy doing a good job for my clients. The MBA gave me a more rounded understanding of business as a whole and this now underpins much of my client- facing work.“
Jeffries is one of the founding non-executive directors of Solent
’Doing it properly’: Gary Jeffries
LEP when it was established in 2011, and he became chairman 18 months ago.
He said: “One of the biggest challenges facing us in this region is a lack of skilled workers.
Employers and our own research repeat this over and over. This is an urgent challenge for all of us in the region and for those of us working in business and education.
“I wanted to study for my MBA because I thought if I’m going to work at senior management level to help regenerate this region then I want to make sure I’m doing it properly.
“Before I studied for my MBA, I had very specific skills and education for my role in professional services, but when you step into management you need a different tool set. I estimate I spent 15-20 hours a week on my studies in addition to working full time and having a family. It’s certainly challenging but learning about best practice in all the different areas of business has proved invaluable.“
Portsmouth Business School holds regular postgraduate information events where you can meet lecturers and discuss courses.
Details:
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Whether you are responsible for projects, HR, marketing, risk management or have ambitions for a top-level executive role, Portsmouth Business School offers part-time and professionally recognised postgraduate programmes for busy working people.
A first degree may not be essential, as long as you have the right attitude and work experience which will have prepared you to succeed. You’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain, so come along to our next open evening – for details please visit
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www.port.ac.uk/pbscourses THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – APRIL 2015
www.businessmag.co.uk
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