University of Essex

It is heartening to me, that a leading University is taking such a leading position, not simply in entrepreneurial education and encouragement, but in embracing elements in society beyond the usual Business School reach of larger corporations. The focus on creativity, innovation and enterprise is exciting, and the acceptance of the importance of cultural and ethnic diversity in enabling more innovation and business creation, is something I believe in with conviction.

I have found the ( Venture Academy ) mentors at SEB to be truly inspirational and each time I have feeling that I have a better grasp of what I should be aiming for. The Venture Academy has been a huge Learning curve for me personally and has provided a solid base for me to develop this business concept into a start up business model.

The School of Entrepreneurship and Business doesn’t just talk about nice ideas – it puts its theories into practice. The Senior Enterprise Fellow (SEF) scheme is an outstanding example of what can be achieved through intelligent and effective networking. It is characteristic of the School’s approach that the SEF meetings bring together an extraordinary range of experience and perspectives, at which SEB staff and students meet outstanding entrepreneurs, influential local and international government representatives and senior academics from around the world in a forum which is as enjoyable as it is enlightening. The culture of the SEB is exactly what a school of entrepreneurship needs - it is flexible, inventive and entrepreneurial.

It has been most satisfying to be able to give ongoing input from our own experiences to SEB students as they develop their theses, and to present papers and participate in panel discussions.  The opportunities that the SEF scheme has created to network with the young challenging minds of students at the University of Essex , the faculty members and the experienced, pragmatic input of the other Fellows has been enormously stimulating.

Being a Senior Enterprise Fellow (SEF) at the University of Essex School of Entrepreneurship is a marvellous experience for a tried and true serial entrepreneur who finally has a little time to try and give back some of all that I have received in my very rich and rewarding life.

It is difficult to say what I appreciate the most about being an SEF.

Is it the on-going relationship with the students at the School of Entrepreneurship which goes way beyond the time of their studies and usually extends into their new entrepreneurial endeavours?

Is it the discourse with the PhD students who apply a rigor and discipline to entrepreneurship -- something I thought could never be taught, but now believe can?

Is it the truly international exchange between students, professors, NGO’s, entrepreneurs and other Enterprise Fellows which Professor Jay Mitra inspires and facilitates at the School of Entrepreneurship?

Is it programs such as the University of Essex/OECD LEEDS International Entrepreneurship Forum which has taken us to such places as Shanghai, Cape Town, Riga, and Paris to discover and indeed stimulate the “glocal” innovation and entrepreneurial culture?

It is, in all cases, that SEF scheme provides all fellows a chance to give and to receive a thousand times more and to do so in a trans-border, trans-culture environment. How much luckier can a person be?

When I made the decision to choose the MSc in international business and entrepreneurship I was looking at various MBA programs, however, their generalist approach was not suited to my goals as I already had experience in managing business and consequently did not feel the need to learn accountancy, marketing, leadership, etc offered by many MBAs. The key reason for my choice was the international focus and the entrepreneurial bent offered by SEB.

My experience at SEB far exceeded my expectations. The most valuable aspect of my learning experience was the opportunity to interact with successful entrepreneurs and learn from them. The program was demanding as it should be, when taking a year out from industry I did not want to lose a moment or delay any element. I am a keen reader but I read more books in the first 6 months of the program than in the previous two years! My knowledge and confidence has undergone a step change improvement due to the SEB experience.

I just joined an established entrepreneurial business and I would not have had this opportunity were it not for Professor Mitra, the SEB and the knowledge obtained in studying the field of international business and entrepreneurship.