Vidhya Sivakumar

Vidhya Sivakumar currently works as Data Coordinator for the Decarbonisation Net Zero Programme at Aston Business School.

Choosing Aston Business School for an MBA

Vidhya Sivakumar chose to study an MBA at Aston Business School for its "unique approach to teaching, which emphasises a hands-on, practical learning experience". After a 13-year career in the field of information technology in India, Vidhya saw the MBA course at Aston Business School as the perfect opportunity to elevate her skill set and embrace new challenges. She shared:

The opportunity to work with businesses in the West Midlands as part of the course allowed me to tackle real-life challenges and provide actionable solutions.

Winning the Global Leadership Scholarship was the icing on the cake for me."

Applied learning environment

Vidhya found great value in the teaching methods and diverse opportunities presented by Aston Business School's MBA programme. She appreciated the integration of real-life case studies, games and business challenges across all modules.

Reflecting on her experiences, she said:

I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching approach on all the modules of the MBA course.

I also learned a great deal from the diverse business and cultural expertise within my cohort."

A standout experience for Vidhya was the study trip to Toulouse, France. This trip provided new insights into intercultural management, big data and artificial intelligence. She added:

The visit to the Airbus factory offered a fascinating glimpse into the aircraft manufacturing process.

The cultural immersion and sightseeing enhanced the overall experience."

Extracurricular involvement

Vidhya actively engaged in extracurricular activities during her time at Aston University. As a student representative, she relished the opportunity to represent her cohort to the MBA management team, collaborating to improve the overall student experience. She was also involved in the AACSB and AMBA recertification audits for Aston Business School.

Participating in the Universities Business Challenge as a finalist was another personal highlight for Vidhya. She added:

The competition taught us a lot about running and managing a business."

Furthermore, her involvement with Aston University's Cyber Security Innovation Research Centre allowed her to participate in several outreach events.

Vidhya also enrolled on the 'Empowering Women to Lead Cyber Security - West Midlands' programme, which provided a strong networking and coaching foundation and gave her "an opportunity to learn from women leaders in the cyber security industry".

Placement opportunities

Vidhya completed a valuable placement with Bamboo Technology Group, an ICT consulting company based in Cheltenham. "This experience allowed me to deep-dive into the world of cyber security consulting", she added.

Her master's thesis was based on her work with Bamboo, where she conducted extensive research on SMEs in the UK and proposed a new Zero Trust Framework tailored for small businesses.

Advice for prospective students

Vidhya encouraged prospective students to seize every opportunity available. She advised:

Throughout the course, you'll encounter numerous opportunities to push yourself and engage in hands-on learning."

She highlighted the ample networking opportunities provided by Aston Business School, such as the Directors' Club and Leadership talks. She added:

Take full advantage of every opportunity you get. In fact, I secured my internship through networking at a Directors' Club event."

She concluded:

The faculty at the Business School are all experts in their respective fields and you'll have a lot to learn from them.

They've all been incredibly helpful, going above and beyond to ensure that we as students get the most out of the course."