Realising that he had become focused on the success of individual projects rather than the business as a whole, in 2018 Emrah Bingöl embarked on his MBA to gain a wider outlook and holistic approach. He is now planning to be a part of the driving force addressing lack of digital usage in the construction industry.

What did you do before embarking on your MBA?

I have a Civil Engineering degree and was a Project Controls Manager working in the construction industry prior to starting my MBA. Having started my career in Turkey, I have worked in various projects in Middle East and Caucasian regions.

What prompted you to study an MBA?

Having worked in Project based roles throughout my career, I started to feel that my primary focus was the success of the projects I worked on rather than the success of the whole business. I wanted to divert my focus to the overall success and growth of the business, which I knew required a wider viewpoint and a holistic approach. I believed an MBA degree would help me with that by improving my strategic management skills and direct me in the right direction towards the next stage of my career.

How have the CareersPlus team supported you?

The CareersPlus team played a major role from the early stages of my education in WBS. Although I was allocated an advisor and had planned sessions with them, other members of the team were always open for a quick chat, a question or a discussion. With this help and guidance, I devised a realistic and achievable job search strategy that directed my efforts in the right direction and gave me a competitive advantage. I believe the compassionate, yet honest, feedback I received helped clarify my short to medium term career path.

Post MBA, have you realised your career aspirations?

I am a Managing Consultant in one of the leading Project Controls Consultancies and a deputy departmental lead in one of the major civil infrastructure projects in the UK. My current focus is implementation of systems approach to project management in large capital projects, use of digital transformation to help this implementation and integration of these multiple systems across the whole business. My MBA education has helped me better identify the pain points of my clients, devise strategical roadmaps for solution implementations, and manage the change more effectively, creating buy-in at various levels of business.

What plans do you have for the future?

I believe digital transformation and data management will play a major role in determining the future of construction. In its current state, the industry suffers from silos in management, poor data structures, and little to no digital technology usage. These issues should be addressed strategically within and amongst businesses and institutions. My education at WBS has given me the foundations to implement and manage innovation and change on a strategical level. My aim is to build on these foundations and be a part of the driving force addressing the above issues to change and better the construction industry.