Is a Cass ExecutiveMBA right for you?

Cass Business School In 2002, City University’s Business School was renamed Sir John Cass Business School following a generous donation towards the development of its new building in Bunhill Row. The School’s name is usually abbreviated to Cass Business School.

Sir John Cass’s Foundation Sir John Cass’s Foundation has supported education in since the 18th century and takes its name from its founder, Sir John Cass, who established a school in in 1710. Born in the in 1661, Sir Printed on 50% recycled paper, sourced from responsibly John served as an MP for the City and was managed forests together with recycled fibre. Certified in knighted in 1713. accordance with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

www.cass.city.ac.uk “The Cass Executive MBA is a great choice. It’s internation ally ranked, global in perspective and prepares you for a successful future. Cass definitely helped me in my care er and can help you achieve your full potential.”

Robert (Bob) Kelly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer BNY Mellon

The Cass Executive MBA perspective 03 Challenge and be challenged 05 Managing uncertainty 07 International credibility 09 Real business not just theory 11 Develop a strategic perspective 13 Business doesn’t just mean business 15 Build a platform by taking a journey 17 Making the transition 19 Go from knowing to believing 21 360o leadership 23 Reinvent the entrepreneur

01 Cass Business School Executive MBA 02 Our difference is in the learning As soon as our students come in they experience. We have a diverse Executive are immersed in an environment that MBA group and we question the has an international faculty and a applicability of western management diverse cohort. Students have to theories to the new context of business. demonstrate hands-on capability The City of London sets the scene for and a global perspective both in the our high-energy programme, and our classroom and in their emerging international standing reflects a markets consultancy trip and diversity of culture, business and talent. international electives. This is not business education tourism. Students We challenge our students in a work with local businesses, and the facilitative manner. We aim to create advice they give to small and medium executives who can think critically “Our difference is in the learning sized enterprises has a real impact. and challenge the norm but without arrogance. There has been too much This is an intensive Executive MBA. experience. We challenge our emphasis on the charismatic hard-man Our global ranking is high because leader, which is more suited to the we understand the issues of executives students in a facilitative manner. 1980’s – not to the 21st Century. holding down challenging jobs while doing a demanding degree. We aim to create executives who The global economy is facing East, and that requires more cross-cultural The Executive MBA is a period of can think critically and challenge sensitivity, and an appreciation of personal transition. If you’re going contextual differences. We need to be to use it to convert or accelerate your the norm but without arrogance. more curious about different social, career, it has to be a partnership of economic and political contexts, to gain managed change between us. It’s a difficult balance but very a deeper understanding of people from different geographies and cultures. important.” Professor Veronica Hope Hailey Associate Dean of Cass MBA

Challenge and be challenged

03 Cass Business School Executive MBA 04 “There’s not a PowerPoint slide in the entire thirty hours. Students learn to form views through critical analysis in front of very sharp peers with contrary views.” Managing

Scott Moeller uncert ainty Director of M&A Research Centre and Honorary Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Finance

Critical thinking Getting real in an uncertain world Three-dimensional perception I bring business experience of You learn that there’s never enough You will leave here understanding working with multinationals on time to do all the analysis or get that the world is less rational than three continents. Within the course all the information. Your strategy, it appears. You need to be able to we run a six-hour simulation of a once you understand that of your gather as much information as M&A, where our executives are split opponent’s, has to be changed. possible and make the best decision into four different companies, all No battle plan survives contact under different circumstances. Life challenging each other. Students with the enemy. Chaos rules in M&A is not perfect and you’re probably learn to form views through critical deals – especially as you get towards not going to find every piece of analysis in front of very sharp peers closing. Competitors will take full data, but triangulating multiple with contrary views. advantage of your distraction; you perspectives can help you get a feel have to pull out of that confusion an of what you need to know. ability to craft the best deal and run the business afterwards.

05 Cass Business School Executive MBA 06 In addition to my day job, I am a The core emerging market modules, Cass alumnus and visiting lecturer international symposia and at Cass – teaching in both centres electives offered on the programme – London and Dubai. This gives give you the opportunity to work me a particularly interesting alongside business leaders in perspective on the Executive MBA. China, Vietnam, Argentina, South Africa and in the Middle East. A melting pot I am always amazed at how This sort of experience gives you international Cass is. It’s a credibility in different cultures. compelling fusion of different You learn how to convince people cultures, languages and ideas that from a wide variety of backgrounds generates an exciting atmosphere. to invest in you emotionally and This sense of purpose runs through financially, and help turn your every facet of the organisation – ideas into reality. from faculty and students to course content. Over 100 countries have been represented in the Cass experience, with an international network of alumni who look out for each other.

Khurram Jafree Head of Investment Advisory MENA Barclays Wealth “You learn how to convince people from a wide variety of backgrounds to invest in you emotionally and financially, and help turn your ideas into reality.” International credibility

07 Cass Business School Executive MBA 08 Cass has not only transformed my Securities – I could get out my Our company gave us remarkable work as a financial journalist – it spreadsheet and analyse them. access to their staff and books. has opened many other intriguing We have senior people from global We were able to do anything and possibilities. For complex industry coming through on a ask any questions. We were putting international finance there is no regular basis. I’m having candid into practice things we learned, better business school and the conversations with them in a way such as how to motivate staff and connections with the City are first that is impossible as a journalist, reduce costs. I think we probably class. I’ve rediscovered a love of because it’s Chatham House rules saved some businesses with our numbers – the beauty and the here at Cass. recommendations. patterns. Now I not only understand Hands on experience Investing in myself the alleged causes of the financial Cass has excellent international The point at which the penny crisis – things like Credit Default electives in emerging markets. They dropped was the Quantitative Swaps and Mortgage-Backed took a hundred of us to Vietnam and Methods class. It was pitched far attached us to various companies. too high for me. I locked myself away Organisations are queuing up to be with books and just kept going until involved because they’ve seen how I understood it. I suddenly realised businesses have benefited in that if I could master Quantitative previous years. Methods, I could master anything. I went on to get what was my best mark to date. The opportunities are only limited by yourself. Cass is the best decision I have ever made.

Alex Ritson Reporter and presenter, BBC Real business not just theory

09 Cass Business School Executive MBA 10 “The Executive MBA helps you to analyse and understand the DNA of a business.”

Creating confidence I found it so helpful to learn from and credibility applying the theory in a real business “It’s like business The Cass Executive MBA immerses context – something other course you in a huge number of business formats don’t offer. boot camp for disciplines rapidly enabling you to Becoming a time trader become credible in topics ranging the brain – by the Not an obvious advantage but one from culture to cashflow. It’s modular, of the most profound benefits to allowing you to gain knowledge end you feel you me has been learning to manage brick by brick, gradually building my time so I could balance a could take on any your confidence. You work with challenging career, very stretching such a high calibre peer group that Executive MBA and have some challenge thrown you can’t help but feel proud you semblance of a personal life. I can hold your own in their company. now treat work like triage: rapidly at you.” Learning the art and science assessing what’s important, what’s Alyson Reeves of business urgent, what can I delegate, and The Executive MBA gives you an what must I do myself? Time is A member of PA’s excellent grounding in business my most valuable commodity so Management Group, helping you really understand I trade it with care. PA Consulting Group Ltd how organisations work giving you Develop I really enjoyed the mental stretch, perspective a great set of methods, tools and the variety of work, the punishing techniques. It helps you understand workloads and the calibre of financial markets, strategic drivers, classmates and that’s why I chose the importance of cashflow, my career in management governance and decision making, consultancy. formal and informal hierarchies and the power of influence.

11 Cass Business School Executive MBA strategic a 12 Business doesn’t just mean business Samantha Peters Chief Executive, British Society for Rheumatology

I came to Cass early in my career Sustainable creativity and it opened the door to my first My cohort was hugely creative charity Chief Executive job. Now and knowledgeable. It was a very the Executive MBA is giving me the fertile environment and that’s intellectual and practical help to what I love about it. If you bring advance my career again. together an actuary, an accountant and a book-keeper, the ideas they The not-for-profit sector has to generate will be adequate. But put make its strategy, operations and an accountant, a nuclear scientist management as effective and and a doctor in a room together efficient as a traditional business and the ideas you generate are would. The Information Management truly stratospheric. course changed how I perceived my organisation, and I went back to Organic approach work questioning our IT strategy. My role means that I have to look forwards, backwards and sideways. People from the not-for-profit sector With my Executive MBA I now have make a huge contribution in class. a much broader more strategic and There’s been a lot in the press culturally aware approach. My recently about MBAs not teaching President tells me I have matured, ethics. When I came here I thought and I operate at an entirely different it would all be about profit, but the level. Working with clinicians is not focus is so much broader. There easy. They can be a tough, brusque is a growing awareness of delivery breed. Organisations are becoming through collaboration; about more diffuse, and boundaries are less aligning organisations and teams clear. So tomorrow’s leaders must be around strategy. “When I came here I was a bit able to thoroughly integrate people nervous that it would all be about and activities. profit, but the focus is so much broader. A lot of people come to Cass thinking in silos, but leave with a much more organic approach.”

13 Cass Business School Executive MBA 14 Life-changing revelations The Executive MBA has given me a “Cass was a The prospect of an Executive MBA tremendous amount of confidence. was a bit daunting. Two years of I can look a CFO in the eye and feel succession of study when I had a young family, very comfortable talking about my a demanding job – how would specialist subject. defining moments, I balance it all? My company Joined up thinking sponsored me, so while it was The big challenge in business is to and the realisation easier financially, there was a lot connect established management of pressure to deliver and do well. that I had much techniques with emerging theories. Expanding my horizons The intensely collaborative more ability than When I arrived, there were many approach at Cass showed me how opportunities to learn and develop, I could build the platform to help I thought. It was join networks and get involved. me do that. Part of my challenge was to navigate an awakening.” through. My fellow students and Robert Secoy Cass staff helped me stay on track Vice President, BNY Mellon and keep things in perspective. Depositary Receipts

Build a platform by taking a journey

15 Cass Business School Executive MBA 16 Making the transition “Without the Executive MBA I wouldn’t be where I am now. It showed me where I could go.” Rodrigo Franciscani Senior Strategy Manager, Motorola I consider myself half British, half Connecting life together Brazilian. I came to England from I studied with managers, senior Brazil for two years but have already executives and directors. In addition stayed for ten. I was leading a team to the academic side, I learned soft of software engineers but felt ready skills such as getting the best out of to go to the next level by moving people; how to engage a team and from a functional position to a more develop self awareness so that you strategic role. I started researching can lead with confidence. It’s Executive MBAs to help me make a continuous process – you forge that leap. I studied the rankings and connections and help each other reputations, talked to people and to achieve goals. looked around the City; everything Investing in networking pointed towards Cass. The competition is fierce out there. People are making themselves more marketable, more knowledgeable, and you have to take ownership of your career. You can put your Executive MBA on your CV, but what really counts is how you demonstrate it in your day-to-day job.

17 Cass Business School Executive MBA 18 Go from knowing to be lieving

Understanding others I now work with a wide range of We had a diverse range of colleagues in many departments – “Just as important are the softer skills: personalities, cultures and accounting, corporate finance, professional backgrounds on my treasury, sales, marketing, public believing in yourself and knowing intake. The group work was a relations, general management, phenomenal experience that helped and operations. me to relate to others so much better. how to bring others with you.” Intuitive entrepreneurialism I met intelligent and outspoken Good leaders have to be confident David M Berk people who were bringing something about their ideas. They can’t convince completely different to the game. Vice President of Finance, L’Oreal USA and motivate a team by sitting on the Collaborating on projects through to fence. Cass taught me that if you don’t 2 o’clock in the morning, we learned take risks, you won’t achieve great to think and deliver as a group. success. I’m lucky enough to work for an organisation that encourages risk and entrepreneurialism. In the present economic environment, we need this more than ever.

19 Cass Business School Executive MBA 20 The Executive MBA helped me Instant innovation discover my leadership strengths A big part of Cass is about thinking and weaknesses. I’m in a finance role differently. Entrepreneurism is part – but I’m not an accountant. I work of the procurement function. We are in procurement – but I’m not a buyer. constantly looking for fresh ways to When I don’t know something, I deliver new and existing products. draw on someone who does. I hadn’t We are spending significant amounts been offered a Finance Director role of money on behalf of the business, before, so my promotion reflected so there is a huge responsibility on the balance of ability and confidence procurement to produce the right other people had seen in me. quality, optimal service and the best possible deals. Embracing different cultures I started my career in Hong Kong, worked in Singapore and China and then came back to the UK, so I have always thought internationally. My focus on the Executive MBA was to develop my understanding of international finance and marketing, so to study a Japanese business for my elective made a big difference.

36 00 leadership “Bringing skills, people and motivation together in a way that delivers the outcome.” Caroline Wehrle Finance Director, Global Procurement Diageo Plc

21 Cass Business School Executive MBA 22 Reinvent the entrepreneur “Other business schools take people from big corporations, present a business case and say – this is the way you should do it. Cass say – there is no right answer, but these tools will help you deal with this situation.”

Perry Thomas CEO, HSBC Reinsurance Limited Understanding how I operate Cass really changed my leadership. people. My soft skills were reflected I founded Reinsurance Group of Being able to lead is one thing, but in how the team flourished when I America UK in 1999 with a lot of creating and communicating a was not there. I developed an frenetic activity. We were very vision that people want to follow emotional intelligence – and successful, very quickly, in a tough is quite another. actuaries are not known for their market. We were getting lots of emotional intelligence. No Confronting my shortcomings plaudits and winning prizes. I one can be strong at everything, The best thing about the Executive thought I knew my business, but so knowing your weaknesses can MBA was not necessarily learning then to be ripped to shreds by the be a positive advantage. how to manage, but learning where Professor of Strategy at Cass; that’s to look for help. It was a very intense the kind of learning curve you can’t two years. I came out with a lot of pay enough money for. skills; strategy, HR and managing

23 Cass Business School Executive MBA 24 are we what you are looking Global reputation Ranked 2nd in the UK ...do we for? Centre of excellence for Finance and Strategy with emphasis on practicality and real business relevance really need Flexibility Tailored learning that fits your career goal to ask? Electives that enhance and challenge you Cass Business School Global networks 106 Bunhill Row A world renowned faculty London EC1Y 8TZ Iconic speakers Tel +44(0)20 7040 5276 Alumni network www.cassemba.com International symposia Personal development Team based learning Career coaching Personal development programmes Lifelong learning Leadership Balance of business and management skills Global business issues Strategic leadership Applied learning Real life situations Practical projects International assignments A business environment Arguably the best located business school in Europe with 75% of FTSE 500 companies on our doorstep Networking opportunities Global business connections Emerging markets Campuses in London & Dubai

25 Cass Business School Executive MBA