Kristy Bloomfield

Why did you decide to study an MBA?

When I wanted to move into working for Coca Cola, it wasn’t a prerequisite but I knew it was going to help me a lot, especially getting me through the interview process. I decided to do it to help get me into the big FMCG companies that I wanted to. I was really grateful that I did do that because when I got in there, I realised that nearly all of my colleagues at Coke all had them as well, so it was good to get.

A lot of students struggle with time management when they first start. How did you make it work?

I didn’t do it very well at the start, I’ll be honest. It was a bit of a cluster at the start, but by the end of it, I managed to have it all humming. I think about maybe the second subject in, I had got myself organised and realised how much time I really needed to dedicate to it. I didn’t want to do it at the detriment of not investing good time with my kids either.

So I think you do end up ironing out those first couple of months, or first couple of weeks, and then you can balance it all. It’s quite manageable, especially with this MBA. It’s very flexible doing it online through AIB.

Would you attribute any of your career success to having done the MBA?

A lot of my career success has come as a result of my MBA, absolutely. I don’t think I would have got a job at Coca Cola if I didn’t have an MBA. That was a spearhead to get me into Lion and work on Corona and brands that I really wanted to work on; I was very passionate about them.

But not just that, my MBA has allowed me to study again and get the GPA I needed to. Now I’m commencing my law degree, which I wouldn’t have been able to do if I didn’t have my MBA. So it has been very, very, very rewarding. It has contributed a lot to where I am today.

What were the best aspects of being able to study online with the AIB?

Definitely, the best aspect about studying online is the flexibility. I have two beautiful children; I work fulltime in a very demanding role, a great company but a very busy role, I need flexibility. I don’t have time to go sit in a lecture hall for two hours. I need to make those two hours available when they work best with me and my family.

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