How This Business School Helps Leaders Stay One Step Ahead Through Lifelong Learning

It’s never too late in life to learn something new. At least, that’s what Italian-born entrepreneur, Luca Poggiaroni, has always believed. 

By age 21, he had already created his first successful startup, which he then followed up with a succession of fruitful business ventures in the realm of media, events, and tech—all culminating in the launch of his online search platform, Menuale. 

However, after achieving all of this success, Luca (pictured right) reached a point in his thirties where he felt like his career had stagnated. 

“When you wake up and you're not happy to go to work, to me, it's the perfect time in your life to change something,” Luca says. 

Fortunately, a friend of his recommended pursuing an MBA at City, University of London's Bayes Business School. It was an experience that had improved his friend’s career prospects and the idea resonated with Luca. Not to mention, with London’s myriad of opportunities for networking, industry, and learning, the idea of studying in the UK’s capital held a strong appeal. 

But even more enticing, the MBA also offers alumni the opportunity to access one free elective module per year indefinitely. This prospect was particularly intriguing to Luca, whose career had been constantly evolving from one area to the next.  

Now, having more than trebled the profits of his startup and earned a role as senior partner of an investment company, it’s apparent that the Bayes MBA—and its lifelong learning courses—have helped to transform Luca’s career. 

What skills did you learn? 

With an undergraduate degree in history, Luca had no formal business education before enrolling at Bayes.

Consequentially, he found the solid grounding provided by the program in subjects such as economics and finance to be particularly useful. 

“The pure knowledge of the day-to-day, the ‘hardware’, is something that the MBA provided,” Luca says. 

While on the program, students study core modules such as Organisational Behaviour, Strategy, and Markets and Investments. 

Then, at the end of their second semester, they are required to complete a Strategy Consulting project: a three-month teamwork experience in which students perform strategic analysis on a company currently operating in the UK.

“[The project teaches you] to switch very rapidly from one thing to another,” Luca says. 

Beyond the curriculum, perhaps the most important aspect of the program for Luca was the diversity of the cohort—many of whom come from outside of the UK.  

“[I gained] an international mindset. I have several friends around the world, like in Brazil, in France, and in London,” Luca says.

Furthermore, for those looking to gain a more global business perspective, students can also opt to take international electives. These allow students to gain an in-depth understanding of how business works across the world by organizing tours and networking events in places such as the UAE, the Netherlands, and the Silicon Valley. 

What lifelong learning electives have you taken after your MBA?

After completing the MBA, Luca’s professional career experienced a complete renaissance. 

He went on to become a partner at Arc Consulting—an international consulting group—before taking up a role as senior advisor at the innovative fintech investment company, Azimut Direct.

Plus, he was also able to leverage his newfound financial skills to increase Menuale’s value.

“All of the technical modules on the MBA, like accounting and economics, were very helpful to me [to achieve this],” Luca explains. 

In tandem with his newfound success, he also felt the need to develop his skillset even further. Fortunately, having access to free electives through Bayes Lifelong Learning means that alumni can continually build on their knowledge in a dynamic business environment.  

He opted to enroll in both the Private Equity and the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) electives, each of which center on teaching core skills in strategy and finance, as well as technical knowledge regarding venture and buyout returns and Private Equity funding. 

“I took those electives because of my new career. I had to learn [more] about it,” he says.  

Other modules that alumni can choose from range in subject matter from sustainability, to marketing, to tech, and include cutting-edge electives such as Sustainability: Business Challenges and Opportunities, Behavioural Finance, and Competitive Edge with Digital Technologies. 

The opportunity to participate in lifelong learning also creates a great avenue for networking with new and previous cohorts—something which holds a strong return value for Luca.

“It's an opportunity to come back to London to catch up with some friends. So I will choose [to do] another elective,” Luca says. 

Undoubtedly, with how busy his life is now—managing multiple companies while juggling networking and travel—it’s likely that Luca will discover something new he wants to learn in future. 

For others considering embarking on the same journey, he says, “Do it. It’s a very high value [experience].”