Career boosted by business holy grail

A high-flying career woman is to reach the ‘holy grail’ of business management thanks to a competition run by our Business School.

Katherine Hierons has been named winner of the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) competition – run by Teesside Business School and the Evening Gazette.

The 40-year-old from Redcar said it is a major boost to her career ambitions and she plans to start the two year programme in September.

‘The MBA is the holy grail in terms of business management and I can’t wait to get started,’ said Katherine, who works as a funding programme co-ordinator for Middlesbrough Council.

Globally recognised as the most prestigious management qualification available, the MBA focuses on themes and techniques applicable to the business world.

Launched earlier this year, the MBA competition sought to offer one exceptional manager an £8,300 scholarship to study part-time for a general MBA, or one geared to the public sector or enterprise. Katherine, who works with a team that manages a budget of £13.4m, chose to complete the general MBA.

The panel of judges – made up of Business School dean Alastair Thomson, accountancy boss and University governor Keith Robinson, MBA project leader David Allison and Gazette business editor Sue Scott – selected Katherine after being impressed with her range of skills and fantastic enthusiasm.

Katherine added: ‘I did my law degree in my twenties, a postgraduate in my thirties and now I’ve hit 40, I’m looking forward to starting the MBA.’

---