An MBA is, in theory, a qualification. In practice, for many of the professionals who pursue it, it becomes something more specific: the decision that separated what came before from what came after.
The stories below are real. Three alumni of the Manchester Global MBA, delivered part-time through Manchester Worldwide (S.E. Asia) in Singapore, share what drove them to start the programme, what changed while they were studying, and where they are now. Their industries are different. The thread running through all three is the same.
Daryl Pereira: From Investment Banking VP to Google APAC Director
Director and Head of Office of the CISO, Asia Pacific, Google Manchester Global MBA
Daryl Pereira was already a vice president at a global investment bank when he enrolled in the Manchester Part-time Global MBA. He was not running from a struggling career. He was running toward something bigger.
“I started the Manchester Part-time Global MBA to accelerate my global adaptability, build a breadth of knowledge, enhance my influencing skills, gain global networks, build cultural adaptability and grow competence in running a business,” he says.
What happened during the programme was not just academic progression. It was career acceleration in real time. By the time Daryl graduated, he had moved from his VP role at the investment bank to a partner position at a Big Four consulting firm. He later moved to Google, where he now leads the Office of the CISO across Asia Pacific, one of the most significant technology leadership roles in the region.
The MBA, in his words, positioned him for exactly that trajectory. “The Manchester MBA provides insights into innovative management concepts coupled with applied learning, which helps position you for career growth as the digital economy grows apace and globalisation intensifies.”
His story is a particularly clear illustration of what the part-time format makes possible. Daryl did not step away from his career to study. He studied while his career was moving, and the two things accelerated each other. The frameworks he was learning on weekends and in workshops were being applied and tested in boardrooms and client meetings the following week.
For professionals in technology, cybersecurity, or digital transformation who are asking whether an MBA makes sense alongside a demanding role, Daryl’s trajectory is a direct answer.
Christy Tan: Building Asia's Financial Markets at Franklin Templeton
Managing Director and Investment Strategist, Franklin Templeton Manchester Global MBA
Christy Tan had always wanted to study at a UK university. When she relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong in 2014, she made up her mind to act on it. What she did not anticipate was how significantly the programme would shape both her career and her professional identity.
“I was extremely glad I did so,” she says. “The workshop style of programme delivery and the availability of other centres allowed me to plan my schedule way in advance, while kick-starting many global networking opportunities.”
That flexibility was not a minor convenience. For a finance professional navigating a regional career across multiple cities, the ability to continue across Manchester’s global centres, including Hong Kong, without interrupting her professional momentum was what made the programme viable.
The results were tangible. While studying, Christy was instrumental in building NAB’s research platform in Asia and involved in shaping NAB’s strategy for connecting Australian and New Zealand businesses into the Asian markets. She was also shortlisted for the MBA Student of the Year Award by AMBA, the Association of MBAs, one of the most competitive student recognition awards in postgraduate business education globally.
She is now Managing Director and Investment Strategist at Franklin Templeton, one of the world’s largest investment management firms, where she covers Asian financial markets at a regional leadership level.
“Since joining the programme, my career has reached new heights,” she reflects. “The support from my family, course-mates and the helpful staff has kept me going — they were the force behind my professional and academic successes.”
For finance professionals targeting senior roles in investment management, asset management, or financial strategy, Christy’s story illustrates something important: the MBA is not just a credential for people looking to change direction. It is equally powerful for those who are already on the right path and want to accelerate along it.
Charlotte Ho: From Accountant to APAC Compliance Leader at Wells Fargo
Vice President and Head of Financial Crimes Compliance Testing and Validation, APAC, Wells Fargo Manchester Global MBA
Charlotte Ho came to the Manchester Global MBA from an accounting background. She was technically proficient, professionally established, and genuinely curious about how businesses worked beyond the numbers.
“As an accountant, I have a genuine interest in business,” she explains. “An MBA provides a holistic solution, allowing me to understand how different aspects of business fit together to achieve corporate goals.”
That broader view was what she was looking for, and the Manchester programme delivered it. “With its high ranking and solid reputation, the Manchester Global MBA was the right choice. Not only did it introduce me to a wide-ranging network of business professionals, I believed it would be beneficial in terms of career advancement.”
It was. Charlotte now leads Financial Crimes Compliance Testing and Validation across the Asia Pacific region at Wells Fargo, one of the largest financial institutions in the world. It is a role that sits at the intersection of regulatory expertise, strategic risk management, and cross-functional leadership across multiple markets, precisely the kind of senior, multi-dimensional position that an MBA is designed to unlock.
Her story is particularly relevant for finance and accounting professionals who feel they have reached the ceiling of a specialist function and want to move into broader leadership. The MBA gave Charlotte the commercial vocabulary, the strategic perspective, and the professional credibility to make that transition at one of the world’s most respected financial institutions.
Three alumni. Three industries. Three very different starting points. And yet the pattern across all three stories is consistent.
None of them were at the beginning of their careers when they started the MBA. All three were established professionals with years of experience, clear ambitions, and the self-awareness to identify what was missing. For Daryl, it was breadth of knowledge and global adaptability. For Christy, it was the network and the intellectual framework to operate at a regional leadership level. For Charlotte, it was the holistic business perspective that a specialist accounting career had not given her.
In each case, the Manchester Global MBA delivered not by pausing their careers, but by running alongside them. The part-time, blended learning format, combining workshops in Singapore with online coursework, meant that what they were studying was being tested and applied in real organisations in real time. That applied learning dimension is at the core of what AMBS calls the Manchester Method, and it is what distinguishes the career outcomes these alumni describe from what a purely theoretical programme can deliver.
All three are now in roles that would have been harder, if not impossible, to reach without the credential, the network, and the strategic perspective the programme gave them.
Is the Manchester Global MBA Right for You?
If you are a working professional in Singapore with three to ten years of experience and a clear sense of where you want to go next, the trajectories above are worth taking seriously. Not as guarantees, but as evidence of what becomes possible when the right programme meets the right moment in a career.
The Manchester Global MBA is delivered part-time in Singapore through a blended learning model. No exams. 100% coursework. Triple-accredited by AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS. The same degree as the one awarded on campus in Manchester, with January and July intakes available.
Get in touch to find out more or speak with the admissions team about your next step.
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