Nnamdi Chineme

Tell us about your degree - why did you choose it? What elements of the degree inspired you to study it?

I chose to do my MBA in the UK as it was a one year course as compared to two years in the USA. This meant I did not have to be out of work for too long. I specifically chose Leeds University Business School because of its reputation, ranking and diversity.

What was the best part of your studies here? What did you enjoy the most?

Having run a business with other partners for about 5 years prior to enrolling for the MBA, I wanted to understand the theory in order to apply more structure in my approach to business management. The lectures and workshops were particularly interesting as I could relate discussions to prior experiences and see better or different ways of how they could have been approached.

What were your career aspirations when you arrived? Do you think the experience and skills you gained here will help/helped you in your future career plans? In what way?

Before embarking on the MBA, my aspiration was to carry on building great businesses. It is what I enjoy doing. The Leeds MBA seemed like the perfect way to further develop my business skills. I was not wrong about that.

How has your career progressed since leaving the Business School? Have there been any notable highlights?

Since leaving the Leeds Business School, I have worked as a Delivery Team Lead and Pre-sales Consultant at two of the largest credit referencing agencies in the UK (Experian and Callcredit). I also set up and run Nigeria Property Centre, which is currently the largest property website in Nigeria. More recently, I have co-founded Choosist, a product recommendation service aimed at helping people through the process of selecting the right products where the product type can be confusing.

What are your ambitions for the future?

My ambition for the future is to grow Choosist and Nigeria Property Centre to their full potential.

What was your impression/experience of the facilities, the staff, your peers, the student union, the City of Leeds and the region itself? What would you recommend to future students?

I would definitely recommend Leeds to anyone. The facilities are great and the staff were pleasant and always more than willing to help. Leeds being such a great city is a bonus.

What would you say is your defining memory of studying here?

The most memorable moment during my MBA was from one of the Strategic Management lectures. The lecture was about how businesses consciously make decisions on what to focus on and what not to, compared to similar businesses, for positioning and/or operational purposes. The Body Shop, for example, used simple packaging while other cosmetic brands invested huge amounts of money in high-end packaging. This way of thinking played a crucial role in the success of Nigeria Property Centre.