My time on the Warwick Business School Executive MBA, after winning the Heropreneurs award for a 100% scholarship, was a pivotal bridge between leaving the military, starting at McKinsey, and ultimately my journey into entrepreneurship.

From the Military to McKinsey

Initially, the MBA gave me the academic credibility and commercial fluency to move from the British Army into McKinsey - translating leadership and logistics experience into the language of strategy, finance, and value creation - and leading me onto a promotion and top performance.

Gaining a cross-functional business perspective

But more than this, the breadth of the MBA syllabus gave me what I’d describe as an inch deep, mile wide understanding of how businesses really work: from corporate finance and marketing, to operations, behavioural science and strategy. Perhaps most influential was the freedom to shape my dissertation around entrepreneurship. 

Learning from faculty and peers

The teaching faculty, access to world-class research, and the quality of discussion with my classmates from diverse industries sharpened my thinking and gave me confidence. The combination of theory, community and confidence set the conditions for me to step into my own venture.

Turning insights into action

That venture became Gilded Peaks - a premium British glassware brand that features hand-crafted moulds of the UK’s most iconic mountains inside each glass (in 3D). Inspired by a love of the outdoors and mountains, and the stories tied to places like the Lake District and Eryri, the aim was to create a product that brings memories and meaningful landscapes into people’s homes.

What started as a small idea has grown into six mountain glasses now stocked by over 40 independent retailers and sold to thousands of customers across the UK.

The MBA didn’t hand me a blueprint to entrepreneurship, but it gave me the tools, perspective and confidence to begin.