Alumni spotlight: Accelerating a high-flying career in Aviation
Grainne Van Den Berg - Head of Marketing, Airbus Africa and Middle East
Grainne Van Den Berg has spent her entire career in the aviation sector and built substantial experience as a Commercial Aviation Executive in commercial and technical fields with an aircraft lessor, OEM, airline and consultancy. She began her aviation career in 1998, when she joined Airbus UK as a direct entry graduate following her aeronautical engineering degree programme. Her career trajectory has since taken her through a range of senior positions in roles across the industry. She also holds a Master’s in Air Transport Management and completed a Fundamentals of Senior Management programme with The Open University. Grainne shares her Manchester MBA experience.
What made you look for an MBA at this time and at this stage in your career?
Learning is a continuous journey, whether structured at university or less structured in the work environment and I'm always curious to learn more. When I started my MBA, I was working in a company where a merger was imminent and I felt it was appropriate to 'up my game' if I were to consider a pivot from the aviation business. At the same time, I was personally curious about some of the topics covered by the MBA - such as the ‘Practical Investing’ and ‘Negotiation Skills’ modules - more for personal than professional use. I was also curious to learn about other industries from both the course material and course colleagues. Post-MBA, I have stayed in aviation (it's too cool an industry to leave!) and the MBA has contributed to my growth professionally in terms of skills and leadership.
Your profile includes a wide range of management skills and experience; was there something specific that you wanted the MBA to provide?
Whilst I did have some technical and management skills going into the MBA, I have spent my career in one industry and in a limited number of companies. We can become creatures of habit, so I wanted to see and explore other ways and styles of management, refresh my strategic and financial skills and update myself on macroeconomics, which was never an element in any of my previous studies. The MBA provided the opportunity to learn about other companies and other industries and I was curious to see if I would be attracted by a move away from aviation (this didn’t happen - more because of my passion for aviation than other industries not being interesting). The MBA also helped to shape my view and opinion of the aviation industry at a more strategic level in terms of the different actors involved - OEMs, airlines, financiers, suppliers.
Was the transition back to the classroom a challenge and did you have any support?
The transition happened at a perfect professional time, when I could afford to engage with an MBA but it is always challenging to have strict deadlines which are independent from professional ones (and that you are being paid for). It was not only deadlines but word limits, group work and co-depending on other hard-working professionals in different time-zones, a reading list big enough to fill a small garage, and more. There were plenty of challenges, particularly during family time and that is where the support of loved ones was amazing - and this is a ‘make-it or break-it’ factor for completing the MBA. Managing a travelling job, an MBA, three small kids and life in general doesn't happen without support. My current employer allows study days which is great and my previous employer gave a financial contribution towards the MBA tuition cost.
Your studies started during a very challenging time for aviation –was there any significant impact on your MBA journey?
The MBA studies started during Covid and the company I was working with was acquired at this time, with significant layoffs expected. This was not the only reason for me to choose to do an MBA but it was a factor that pushed the decision to a simple - ‘yes, and the time is right’.
When transitioning from one job to another I was really happy to have the MBA ongoing. I also set up my own consulting firm for a couple of projects (the MBA helped give me the confidence to do this). The aviation industry was in a tailspin and the everyday challenge was very different to the non-Covid period - this was challenging but extremely insightful as we all had to pivot our skills and our focus. Having the MBA learning on the side was a welcome benefit to help me navigate this period.
Were your fellow students an important part of the experience?
For sure - this is one of the big plus points of doing an MBA, the people you meet and the friends you make along the way. The Accelerated MBA was instrumental in forming a close group in two key ways – it was a smaller cohort that stuck together over core modules in a tighter timeline and the physical workshops that put you into insanely intense projects with your fellow students for 3-4 days. There's no choice but to get on with it and to get along together. There is quality learning from fellow students in addition to the course content and the professors' own experiences.
Being in the aviation industry for 25 years, living in Dubai for 12 years, living in other countries and being married to a person with a different nationality to mine means that I am very used to a diverse environment and it is something that I really appreciate. We had a nicely diverse group at Manchester which made the experience even more special - I would have really missed that if it were not the case. I also appreciated the strong women on the course, it is always nice to see a good balance.
Why the Manchester MBA?
The flexible learning delivery and faculty-led workshops were absolutely, without doubt, part of the criteria for me to select this MBA. Other factors included the chance to complete the course in 18 months, the flexible learning combining online and face-to-face, the course content, the value and the reputation. Obviously, I looked at the rankings but I also really wanted some face-to-face learning. I was happy to be able to do some modules in Dubai and to travel for others - and I was happy with the course content and elective selections. I also had some recommendations from others that helped to reinforce my decision.
How is life as a Manchester alumna and what’s next?
I am not as active with the alumni group as I should or could be - work, family and travel means there is not a lot of spare time but I endeavour to do more. I am a supporter of life-long learning and have pivoted back to learning in the professional environment for now but I imagine there will be a curiosity that leads me back to university, at some point in the future.