David Whiting

David embarked on his MBA journey, to grow his skillset and get the necessary skill he needed to start out on his own consultancy. However, rather than doing things the easiest possible way, David decided that with the support of his wife Catherine, they would show their children Africa, whilst she home schooled them and he studied concurrently.

Whilst travelling around countries likes Tanzania and Zimbabwe, battling the mosquitoes and internet connection, David not only successfully completed his course in the shortest period that was available to a student at the time, but he scored a perfect GPA of 7.00 awarding him the Valedictorian status for his cohort.

Wanting to know more about his MBA journey, we asked him some questions.

Why did you feel you needed an MBA?

The path that I wanted to take was to get to a certain level within a corporate business, and then to take the step of starting my own business and really for following my passion. To do that, I felt the MBA would broaden my business knowledge, which was key, but it would also give me that credibility and confidence to take the step. It was a real catalyst to make that split between the comfort of corporate to the challenge of running your own business.

Did you have any fears before starting?

I think the thought of studying again, for a lot of people is quite a big one to get your head around. I was a bit nervous. But I must say, getting into an online type of learning platform at AIB was an absolute pleasure, I found it a lot more efficient. I found the not having the pile of books and the highlighters and the formal classroom sessions versus, being self-paced, really doing a lot of research yourself and having a platform that gives you that flexibility. Just fantastic. So really clicked with me.

What have been some of the benefits?

I think the MBA just gives you that injection of confidence that you need. It gives you the tools and credibility. I think it also changes your mindset, you look at opportunities and challenges a little bit differently, a little bit more worldly, with a little bit more of a broader lens. The MBA has been a catalyst for that

Have there been any successes you attribute to your studies?

The success for me is having the guts to start my own consultancy, I consider that to be one of the successes of the MBA. What I did was one of my final subjects, I wrote a paper on taking a certain company into a different industry. That’s come to life, and I’m now helping them through that journey. Another attribute is attributable success to the MBA goes to the point of by being practical about these subjects, you know, making them real for you. I’m excited for what’s in store.

What’s next for you?

I’m very, very goal driven. And I think the key now is the business side. So taking it through that successful start-up phase – finding the clients that are really meaningful to me, and just following my passion. And my passion is about really helping people and leaders find that the performance strides, as well as being there for my family. So, it’s about balance and I think I’m on the right journey now.

If you’re looking to really accelerate your career, if you meet the eligibility criteria, you can now complete the Fast-Track MBA in as little as 12 months, whether you do that whilst travelling like David did is whole other story!

Explore more AIB student stories.