Toru Morooka

Tell us about your degree - why did you choose it? 

The first reason is that I wanted to make my career more global. Before starting my MBA, I had worked for Johnson & Johnson and Rakuten, one of the largest IT companies in Japan. Both companies had global businesses, but my own responsibilities were mainly focused on the Japanese market. When I was 30, I started to think seriously about how I could use my previous experience while moving into a more international career. At the same time, I also felt that it would not be easy to make a major career change by simply continuing on the same path. That was when I started to see an MBA as a possible turning point in my career. 

The second reason was meeting Leeds MBA alumni. While I was considering different business schools, I had the chance to speak with two people who had graduated from the Leeds MBA. Both of them had significantly developed their careers after the MBA, and hearing their stories had a strong influence on my decision to choose Leeds. I was also impressed by what they told me about how supportive the professors, Business School staff, and accommodation staff were, as well as the strong connections between alumni even after graduation. 

What did you enjoy the most about your course? 

As I have built my career in marketing, the marketing lectures were especially memorable for me. In some of the case studies we discussed in class, there were times when I did not fully agree with the decisions made by the company. Whenever that happened, the professor was always happy to welcome me into his office and discuss the case with me until I was satisfied with the reasoning. He also took the time to give me very thoughtful career advice based on my background, experience, and the direction I wanted to take in the future.  

What did you enjoy most about your life as a student at the University of Leeds? 

I will never forget the time I spent with my classmates in the library until late at night. The class was made up of people from all over the world who had already built professional careers in their own fields. I see myself as a marketing professional, but there were also accountants, supply chain specialists, HR professionals, and many others who already had deep knowledge in areas covered in the MBA. Because of that, I learned almost as much from my classmates as I did from the professors. Hearing how they looked at the same business issue from completely different professional perspectives was one of the most valuable parts of the MBA for me. We usually gathered in the library to study for exams or review what we had learned in class. But somehow, by the end of the night, our conversations always turned into discussions about our future and our dreams. Those late-night conversations are still some of my strongest memories from my time at Leeds. 

How did you find adjusting to living and studying in the UK? 

Before coming to Leeds, I spent some time studying subjects such as accounting in my home country because I was a little worried about keeping up with the classes. But the professors explained things very carefully, so in the end, I did not need to worry as much as I expected. 

If I had to give one piece of advice, it would actually be to learn how to cook a few dishes from your own country before coming to Leeds. If you cook them for the friends you live with in your accommodation, you can become a hero very quickly. 

What professional skills and experience did you gain? 

One of the most important skills I gained from the Leeds MBA was the ability to work with people from different cultures and professional backgrounds. The Leeds MBA was generally structured with lectures in the morning and discussions based on case studies in the afternoon. This was a very new style of learning for me, and at the same time, I learned a lot from it. 

The discussions could sometimes be quite surprising. Some people strongly tried to show their knowledge or skills, while others found it difficult to change their opinion even when they realised that their original argument might not be correct. And all of this was happening among people with very different cultures, values, and ways of thinking. However, I realised that this is not something unique to the Leeds MBA. In fact, it is very similar to what happens in the real business world. Discussions at work do not always progress logically, and we often need to reach an agreement with people who have different positions, priorities, and values. 

Through these experiences, I learned how to express my opinion without simply rejecting others, when I should compromise, and how to move a discussion forward. These are very practical skills, and they have been extremely useful in my career since graduating. 

How did your time at Leeds prepare you for the future? 

My time at Leeds gave me something I had not really had since graduating from university: the time and space to slow down and look at my career more calmly. 

Looking back now, I think I had become a little too focused on moving forward. I had ideas such as, “I have worked this hard, so I need to significantly increase my salary”, or “I should find success in the kind of industries that many MBA graduates go into.” In some ways, I was trapped by my own expectations of what a successful career should look like. However, while spending time in Leeds, talking with friends from all over the world, and sometimes just having coffee together at Black Sheep in the city centre, I gradually started to think more calmly about what I actually wanted. Of course, it is important to get as much return as possible from the time and money you invest in an MBA. But I also believe it is equally important to think about what the career waiting for you after Leeds will actually mean in your life. 

The calm atmosphere of Leeds, and the slightly slower pace of life there, gave me the space to think about my future.  

How has your career progressed since leaving the Business School? 

I am currently working at L'Oréal as an e-commerce marketer, responsible for a Japanese skincare brand. However, this is a career that I could hardly have imagined before studying at Leeds. 

The first thing that surprised me was the recognition of Leeds and the level of respect people have for an MBA. While I was studying, many friends contacted me through Instagram and Facebook and encouraged me to join their companies. Opportunities such as a CMO position at a company started by a friend, or a marketing strategy role at a global company, gradually became realistic options for me. These were opportunities that I do not think would have been open to me before completing my MBA. 

L'Oréal was also one of the companies I had always admired. An old friend strongly recommended me for the opportunity, and that support helped me take the chance. 

The second unexpected benefit of the MBA was that it connected the different experiences and skills I had built throughout my career.  Before the MBA, I had experience in e-commerce, marketing, and sales across different industries. I was confident in each of these skills, but they sometimes felt like separate strengths rather than one connected set of capabilities. 

At Leeds, I was able to study marketing in a more structured way, from market analysis to go-to-market strategy, while also developing my knowledge of management and finance. This helped me build the perspective needed not only to execute marketing activities, but also to think like a marketing leader who can take responsibility for the overall business and the P&L. 

At L'Oréal, I am now in a position where this kind of perspective is expected from me. Being able to take ownership of my area and think beyond marketing to the wider business is one of the clearest ways I can see how the Leeds MBA has directly influenced my career. 

What are your ambitions for the future? 

One of my goals now is to continue having a positive impact, even in a small way, on the dreams and careers of the people who work with me, especially younger colleagues and team members.  

I have been very fortunate to meet many great people throughout my career. Looking back, one of the major turning points for me was working at Johnson & Johnson, a company with a strong connection to MBA graduates, where I met many people who had completed an MBA. At that time, I simply admired their careers and the way they thought. I remember seeing people who were just a little ahead of me using an MBA to expand their career possibilities, and thinking for the first time, “Maybe this could also be an option for me.” 

Now, I feel that I am in a position where I can also show someone else a new possibility.  

What was your biggest highlight of studying at Leeds? 

The biggest highlight of my time at Leeds was meeting friends from all over the world, and the confidence I gained from becoming friends with them. Before going to Leeds, I had never studied in an academic environment overseas. Even though I had worked in global companies, I had limited opportunities to communicate in English at work, so I still felt nervous about communicating with people from other countries. 

In the Leeds MBA, we had to introduce ourselves in front of the whole class on the first or second day. Everyone in the class seemed very talented, so I was honestly worried that my poor English might make people think, “There is no point in getting to know him.” But everyone listened carefully to what I said. After my introduction, several classmates came to talk to me and said things like, “I want to know more about you.” I still remember that moment very clearly. 

Gradually, we became close friends and started going for drinks together. We often talked about classes and our dreams for the future, but sometimes we also just played card games together. I kept surprising myself that I had made so many close friends from different countries. 

Now, after graduation, I still work in a global company, and sometimes I sit next to colleagues who cannot speak Japanese. I can talk to them with much more confidence now. Maybe next time, I will invite them to play cards as well. 

Would you recommend Leeds University Business School? 

 If you are someone who can decide for yourself how to use your time in a meaningful way, I think the Leeds MBA can be a very good choice. One of the biggest strengths of the Leeds MBA, in my opinion, is that there is a good amount of space in both the schedule and the curriculum.