Matthias Mohler

What made you choose to study at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University?
I am from Switzerland, and I was looking for several local options to study an MBA. I then found out that the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) offered a dual degree together with Heriot-Watt. I finally chose this program because on one hand I felt it would be more challenging to study in English. On the other hand it would provide me with globally applicable concepts and widely used terminology of the business world. Furthermore, I liked the flexible structure of the program that perfectly fitted my challenging work schedule. Since I wanted to study a full MBA and not an EMBA I decided to go for this program, even if it would take me longer, given the flexible delivery structure and the size of the courses.

Why did you choose to study an MBA?
I have an IT background and I studied the MBA to gain a holistic perspective on business and management. First and foremost I wanted to gain solid foundation to become a better leader by learning the latest theory along with practical tools and methods that I can apply in my day-to-day job. I was therefore looking for an MBA that provided me with the major subjects relevant to a manager: Strategy, leadership, marketing, organisational behaviour, finance and accounting and so on.
 

What's your favourite / most memorable memory of your time as a Heriot-Watt student?
Since I studied in distance-learning mode along with on-site tuition provided by FHNW, the first time I visited the Heriot-Watt campus was at the graduation ceremony in June 2022. I very much enjoyed the vibe on the campus in Scotland, and it was a very pleasurable ceremony on a nice sunny summer day. The moment to receive the certificate paid back well for the hard work invested during the last two and a half years of studying!

How would you summarise your time studying an MBA with the Edinburgh Business School?
It was a very challenging and tough time. Distance-learning is never easy and requires a lot of energy and focus, especially when you are working full-time. It took me many evenings and weekends to study the demanding academic books and course materials. Nevertheless I enjoyed my MBA very much. The way Heriot-Watt and FHNW delivered the contents were very appealing to me and helped to not only learn but apply the contents quickly. I appreciated the mix of very modern virtual learning environment from HW, and the on-site tuition provided by FHNW.

Tell us about your career since graduating from Heriot-Watt.
By the time I started my studies I was already teamleader, managing a group of 10 consultants. Today I lead a department consisting of three teams with a total of 25 people and I am responsible for the P&L of the B2B data & analytics consulting business at my company.

How has your Heriot-Watt University education contributed to your success?
I would say that during my time at Heriot-Watt I grew into this new role by constantly applying new methods and tools I learned from my MBA. I was always a big supporter of the dual approach, education and practical experience side-by-side. This worked fine for my MBA as well. In particular I was able to apply the concepts from the strategy course when I had to draft the strategy for my new department together with my leadership team. It gave me the right tools to guide the process and come up with solid results. Personally I think it is much more sustainable when knowledge is not only learned but right away applied.

How has your MBA benefited you personally?
It has helped me in two ways: On one hand it gave me concrete new tools and techniques that I could apply in my daily job, e.g. in strategy, finance or marketing. On the other hand the MBA provided me a lot of important contextual knowledge (e.g. organisational behaviour, leadership) that helped me to better understand the business world, its stakeholders, how and why people act the way they do. Last but not least, the MBA journey facilitated my growth as a person as well, since I had to overcome issues of prioritization and find solutions to make best use of my time in order to meet all expectations.

What advice do you have for current students?
I would definitely recommend sticking to the plan, make sure to keep working on the materials even if it seems hard or unachievable, meet your own deadlines for sitting the exams and last but not least be proud of yourself when you pass them!

What is your lasting impression of Heriot-Watt University?
I enjoyed my MBA very much and I think to large part because of the structure of the program, the interesting and demanding contents and the very friendly and supportive faculty and administrative staff. I would strongly recommend the Heriot-Watt MBA to anybody appreciating these aspects.

What are your aspirations for the future?
In terms of career I plan to continue to act as an intrapreneur type of manager with great dedication to my topic, my people and my clients. I believe that I can achieve further growth and profitability for the department, shape client-engagements and satisfaction, and last but not least develop people to an extent they can become great leaders as well. I am a strong supporter of the view that career is something that everyone can shape his own, mainly by delivering outstanding results that speak for them.