MSc Management conference puts the emphasis on employability

Students on the Master’s in Management programme at Warwick Business School gave pop-up presentations at a conference to share their findings on companies they had researched.

It was all part of the annual MSc Management Conference in which students looking to become leaders in today’s business world presented research projects on various industry sectors including finance, medical technology and consumer goods.

Chaired by David Elmes, Professor of Practice and Course Director, this unique conference welcomed industry experts and recruiters from a wide range of sectors, who shared their experiences and advice, participated in panel discussions, and gave feedback on the participating students’ presentations. This year the guests included representatives from Jaguar Land Rover, Siemens Energy, SLT Media and Revolut.

Industry leaders

After walking around the stalls in the Panorama Rooms at the University of Warwick, and listening to the industry insights delivered by the MSc Management students, the industry experts decided on three winning presentations.

These were the team presentation on French luxury brand Hermes, and individual presentations on apparel industry leader Adidas and food & beverages giant Coca-Cola.

Shreya Umesh Bhat from the Hermes team said: “I am passionate about jewellery so when we were given the option of Hermes I thought this was something I wanted to pursue. This was something I could build on to become more knowledgeable about the luxury goods industry.

“To have the chance to present the Hermes story was amazing. I was very nervous but as I got presenting, things got easier.

“It was a wonderful experience so all credit to WBS for giving me this chance.”

Mahika Aggarwal, the individual presenter behind the Adidas presentation, said: “What I loved about the Adidas case study was not the industry specifically but the strategy part of how Adidas came back from losses to stage a remarkable comeback.

“It was about management making the right decisions at the right time. That meant listening to customers on a local level and responding locally, understanding market shifts and being agile.”

The industry guests were impressed by the high standard of the student presentations. Matthew Prest, Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe at investment bank Moelis, said: “The ability to digest so much information and to highlight their findings in a very short space of time was impressive. The students did a great job in that regard.”

Building business skills

Turning individual written assignments in the first semester of their course into five-minute pitches was one of the cornerstones of the MSc Management conference, according to Professor Elmes.  

“This is an event orientated towards employability,” he said.

“The students have done the groundwork, researching the companies and industries they’re interested in.

“But this is about how you convert that 6,000-word assignment into a clear, succinct, interesting, insightful pitch when you are talking to somebody from a company or in an interview. It’s about building the skills to get their messages across clearly in business.”

The students were selected based on their assignment results and then offered coaching sessions on presentation skills.

“In those sessions, they learn to decide on their key message or narrative, and how to back that up with evidence,” said Professor Elmes.

“They had to know their numbers when our industry guests asked them questions.”

The numbers for the MSc Management programme itself are impressive. According to the latest MSc Employment Report, the average salary for 2023-2024 graduates in the first six months after completing their course was $67,035, after being adjusted for international purchasing power parity (PPP).

Employment rates were equally strong, with the programme reporting 100 per cent employment or self-employment in the same period.

Post-course job roles have included Sales Director, Director of Marketing & Business Development, and Business Analyst.

Discover more about Warwick Business School’s Master's Courses.