Scholarship / Chevening Networking Essay: How Your Network Can Influence Your Balance Sheet [2]

Chevening is looking for individuals with strong networking skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your networking skills, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future.

the power in network

As any business man knows, your worth is directly related to your network. A prime example of this is how I got my first job in 2015. After building the BUCC for my school, I was introduced by a friend to a software company that had interest in acquiring our product. Although we never concluded our business, they were so impressed with my presentation that they brought me on-board, immediately starting my career as a business Development officer. During my stay at Flexi, I represented my company in events such as ASNE and Google ,amongst others. These events were instrumental in developing my networking skills, as a business Development officer one of my roles was furthering the company's corporate interests by developing and maintaining relationships with prospective clients.

Infact, it was a former colleague that suggested I apply to AYE, a reality styled Tv show influenced by BBC's Dragon's Den. Our company, Sunset Drive was selected as finalists which saw me present our Business's operations to an international panel and defended it's value preposition on national Tv. This experience has brought connections with many in the Nigerian Cinema and Entertainment industry as well as a few curious investors. I am currently in the process of sitting for my Project management certification, once awarded it will further expand my network by giving me access to some of the top ranking professionals in business and government. I make a habit of storing all the business cards of my contacts in a box, recently however, I've transferred these contact to LinkedIn. Many of which have become close friends, partners, mentors and a few have invested in business projects.

Leveraging on my experiences from multiple industries I created a WhatsApp group in 2018 which consists of individuals who I've worked on projects with to mentor youths in our community. Although it's initial objective was for the purpose of sharing our network of industry contacts it has since transitioned to providing on the phone consultation for individuals starting businesses or open to other income generation methods.

As a prospective Chevening Scholar, I plan to engage the Chevening Alumni Association by developing initiatives that will address poverty and unemployment in my country. I will start by facilitating meet ups to share and discuss business ideas and opportunities, and I plan to do this by utilizing social media platforms. I hope to inspire the spirit of enterprise by narrating my experiences and encouraging others to do the same. Through my established networks, both in Nigeria and abroad, I plan to use my diplomatic connections to further the existing relations between the two countries to foster cooperation and development of human capital.

Scholarship / Studying in the UK Essay: Why these Schools Resonate so Deeply with my Future Aspirations [2]

Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, and explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future.

Xxxrians are some of the most distinguished personalities across the globe, within the realm of business we are renowned for our entrepreneurial spirit, we boasts some of the continent's largest corporations and most of her wealthiest citizens. Unfortunately poor policy planning and implementation has caused the disappearance of xxxria's middle class, the driving force of any emerging economy. According to the 20xx report by world poverty clock, xxxria has overtaken xxx to become the poverty capital of the world with an 86 million people living in extreme poverty. This number is only expected to rise.

I believe the solution lies in stimulating business activity that will generate income for millions of households and restore the middle class. This has motivated me to pursue a Masters in Business Administration to gain knowledge and skills of all forms and aspects of business management. Coming from a background in Advertising and Public relations, an MBA will give me a wholistic perspective towards business development.

The MBA offered at the University Business School is my first choice. The Business School belongs to an elite group of Business Schools worldwide that hold triple accreditation from the three internationally recognized accreditation bodies. Their teaching was awarded the highest possible award - The Gold Award - in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). Their MBA is well recognized for its dynamic approach to leadership development, this perfectly fits into my future goals of grooming leaders back home in xxxria. I am most excited to take the Business in action module will teach me how to problem solve within an organizational setting on a case by case basis.

My second preferred course is the University of MBA. This Business School has a double accreditation and is recognized by the Chartered Management Institute. The class size is uniquely intimate which means greater interactions in classes between students and staff. I am confident that their world class teaching staff such as Dr. Godfred Afrifa will teach me more about what strategies SME's use to access capital. What has me most excited about this school is Business Start Up Week, an opportunity to pitch real ideas to established entrepreneurs.

My third choice is MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at School. Business School has broken into the top 30 business schools in the UK according to the 2019 rankings on QS Global. This course will allow me to delve deeper Into innovation in the corporate world using lean and start up techniques. The course also offers an opportunity to learn a foreign language, an important skill especially in our increasingly globalized world. I was however most intrigued to learn Innovation and Entrepreneurship students won the Best Business Pitch at the Young Enterprise Final 2018.

Overall studying in the UK will provide an opportunity to observe first hand the processes that go into creating world class businesses. I need to obtain an intricate level of expertise to allow me share my combined experience and knowledge with other future leaders within my community.