Eddy Gaskill
MBA Business and Management, 2006
About me
- Lead Regional Coordinator at Ernst & Young Global Consulting Services
- MBA Business and Management, 2006
ABOUT MY CAREER
Manchester Met was ‘on the rise’ at the time I enrolled, and the new Business School building had recently opened. I also lived locally and had attended one of the graduate degree open days (where the Business School representative was very helpful).
My first job after graduating was as a Senior Operations Manager at BT Openreach. This was a complete change of sector and having just obtained my MBA was a definite factor in being offered the role. The skills I gained at Manchester Met, such as analysing various forms of detailed information and understanding models for strategy implementation, helped me in my career. BT Openreach wanted expert managers rather than expert engineers and being from a different (but people-oriented) sector was attractive to the hiring team. Being able to frame real-world problems via a theoretical lens, and thus being able to help stakeholders see the overarching issue(s), has been the main skill that I have used from my MBA.
In 2016, I obtained a graduate certificate and used that to ‘roll in’ to a PhD in Design and Innovation (obtained in 2020). In 2022, I completed my Australian Institute of Company Directors course - and took the examination to obtain the GAICD qualification. Having my MBA from Manchester Met gave me confidence to tackle all of this, and - having studied as a mature student - it meant that my study skills were still fresh.
I am currently the Lead Regional Coordinator for the Boosting the Local Care Workforce (BLCW) Programme at Ernst and Young Global Consulting Services in Australia. As part of a national team, I work with regional stakeholders to tackle various workforce challenges in the Care and Support Sector. Our team helps stakeholders connect to the resources and information they need, as well as providing specialist advice on attracting, selecting and retaining an effective team. The BLCW Programme also relays the latest market intelligence to the government, to assist in shaping the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Aged Care policy.
MY TOP TIP FOR STUDENTS IS
Persevere!
I am from a working-class background and did not finish my undergraduate degree (in the early 1990s). However, developing a career is a skill in itself; and it’s one that I have mastered (so far). There’s a great deal of luck required in landing the job you want, and ‘failure’ is not necessarily a signal - it can be noise. You can’t control who else is applying. You also can’t ensure that the perfect job is available when you happen to be looking - so keep abreast of the market.
You should reflect when you are unsuccessful, and you may need to adjust your goals - but persevere. In addition to developing a profile for personal development and credentials, the key skill is framing a narrative of how your experience and capabilities from a role (or sector) usefully link to another.
When you see a job description with a lengthy list of criteria, it often means that the employer is not sure what they are looking for. It may be that no candidate fulfils all of the ‘dream’ criteria, so be prepared to apply - but do explain how your strengths compensate for any gaps.
I’M INSPIRED BY
Quality - I love to be ‘wowed’ by a great piece of work.
WHY I LOVE MANCHESTER MET
The energy in Manchester was great. The team at the Business School were always helpful and I felt they were ‘on my side’. I even got to go to Beijing on the cohort’s overseas visit.