12month MBA at Oxford College of Business – MBA for the Business Elite
View(s):Mr. Gayan Dharmasena could be described as a serial trainer – and a successful one at that.
Although Gayan had everything going for him, he still found a need to turn to the 12month MBA at Oxford College of Business. “Having a recognized MBA is a very important and useful study especially if you need to train people from all walks of life on a day to day basis. Although most of my day to day business functions were done with common sense and mostly followed my ‘gut feeling’, at one point in my career I felt the need to get a more theoretical background and more in-depth knowledge of subjects such as marketing, finance 
and strategy.
Therefore I decided that an Australian MBA would be a good continuation of my education path,” he says. “For me, getting an MBA was a professional challenge to further my career and to move it to new leadership levels.”
Deciding to do an MBA degree is the first hurdle; choosing which MBA program to apply to and which business school to select is the next. Gayan made a preliminary analysis of business schools and short-listed those which were of potential interest to him.
Selecting the right MBA programme was crucial aspect in my career success
At the time of selecting which MBA programme to opt for Gayan was employed in Sales & Marketing for Ceylon Tobacco. “I intended to make a career switch from a field management role to an HR function (Retail Sales Training) in the FMCG industry itself,” he says. “In my opinion, the decision about which business school to choose, and how to choose it, is a very subjective process. In my case, there was a lot of media analysis, as well as personal contacts with the schools and peer opinions.”
“When choosing an MBA programme, I focused particularly on MBA curriculum content, faculty background, and career service support. OCB’s close connection with the top business community in the country and diverse and high ranked student profiles were also important aspects in choice. Gayan’s final decision was to apply for the 12month MBA programme offered at Oxford College of Business (OCB) in affiliation with the Australian Institute of Business (AIB). It was a choice with absolutely no regrets to say the least, one that has made him very attractive to his employers and other business people alike.
Career switch from sales & marketing to retail sales training
Upon graduating Gayan was able to make a successful career switch from sales & marketing to sales training where he joined Lion Brewery as training manager. Clearly, Gayan has found a management career that he can excel at. But how did his 12month MBA degree from AIB help him to get to where he is? As he explains, an important skill he developed during his programme was the ability to form coherent arguments on unfamiliar issues.
“As an MBA student I was forced to develop positions on topics, under a wide range of scenarios, and quickly. The intense 12-month AIB MBA helped me to develop a certain tact, or even confidence, to move through any unknown territory I encounter.”
“Subjects such as Strategic Management, which was a course led by a CEO of one of the top FMCG companies in the country. Each session was full of useful insights and examples to take with me wherever.
“Strategic Human Resource Management has come in particularly handy too, when trying to decide how to shape where people are and the functions they will perform. Getting such points right can make all the difference in people effectiveness. Then there is negotiation, which is kind of my universal, catch-all course – I can’t leave this out! Every day I am trying to develop more and more such skills; they provide me with a strong path of support under many scenarios.”
The best MBA decision I made
“I would encourage others to pursue the 12month MBA at OCB. I can tell with confidence that the 12month AIB MBA at OCB is a great investment to make in one’s self. “I’m sure I would have had an interesting career and life, as whatever life throws at me I make lemonade, but it is certain that I wouldn’t have achieved what I have to date if I had not gone through the 12month AIB MBA at Oxford College of Business, which is without a doubt the No 1 MBA programme in Sri Lanka today, in my books!”
Mr. D.J.Ebenezer John decided to pursue the 12month MBA at Oxford College of Business (OCB) for a number of reasons. “I wanted to improve my all-round management skills, become a better leader, be able to attract financing, benefit from the experience of others and develop my network,” he says. “Generally speaking, the idea of an MBA was to take me to the next level – both personally and professionally.”
Currently Deputy General Manager at Swiss Biogenics Ltd, Mr. John has been in general management and marketing in the health care (Pharmaceutical, Diagnostic and Surgical) sectors for the past 30 years, and says he’s going to “keep on doing what I do best”. The major difference, now, is that he has better capabilities to leverage within his business and to work on several new projects. “I learned a lot from the academic part of the 12month MBA programme at OCB and from my fellow participants’ experiences. I think it has allowed me to become a better leader and a strategist.
“12month MBA at OCB – A real CEO-toolkit”
“Sometimes people ask me why I selected the 12month MBA at OCB, and my answer is that “it is a real CEO-toolkit.” I also feel that the 12month MBA at OCB is working well for my personal branding, which means more customers and better perspectives for partnerships with suppliers for my company.” He also goes on to says the standard subjects he studied as part of his MBA programme were very useful, but the best part of the programme was learning more about cultural differences. “This was not only by listening to the lectures. The people in the programme are from different cultures and have different backgrounds, which made it a very unique experience for me. We had to work in teams with people from different parts of business circles and it made me understand their views, values and beliefs better.”
“What I learned in the classroom, I was able to implement into my business immediately. This is feature about OCB’s 12month AIB MBA programme. If you work in a corporate environment, the 12month MBA at OCB will certainly help you to get promoted, or it can give you a head start. As DGM, it has helped me in general management and mostly in areas such as negotiation skills (especially with people from different cultures), change management, finance, HR and strategy,” he says.
An MBA with access to a global network of business leaders
Mr. John has been able to successfully implement his MBA learning’s into his senior managerial role at Swiss Biogenics Ltd and as such, it’s an experience he would encourage others to pursue. Mr. John has also developed partnerships with his network of classmates. “We are a kind of family and do not hesitate to help each other out if possible,” he says. “This also extends to the global alumni network of AIB MBA students in 70 countries across 4 continents, since everyone is part of the clan.” The AIB alumnus from OCB struggles to single out one best element from his time in the MBA classroom at OCB, saying instead that many experiences – if not all – were good and enriching. “I think the programme culminates at the very end with the final thesis. After months of hard work you start to realise what you have done. Going through a programme such as the 12month MBA at OCB reminds you how great one’s learning capacity and positive outcomes can be when you do something at your best.”
“I would definitely without any doubt encourage others in senior managerial positions to pursue the 12month MBA offered at Oxford College of Business in affiliation with the Australian Institute of Business which is without a doubt the best MBA programme in country today.” For more information contact Malindu Ranasinghe – 0714151547 or visit www.ocbsrilanka.com
- Gayan Dhamasena
Training Manager, Lion Brewery
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