Executive Grapevine, July 2006

Betty Thayer is Chief Executive of exec-appointments.com.

When I did my MBA over 20 years ago the expectation was that it would be a fantastic return on investment - and that my salary would double once I had a degree in hand. It was a boom market and MBAs were highly valued by many employers. Offers were forthcoming and I spent 10 years with Price Waterhouse as a result.

The wild swing upwards in MBA courses and registrations served to confuse the market as to the value of an MBA. Things have calmed down now, with programmes focusing on delivering quality, not quantity.

In early August we will be launching a new service targeted at full-time MBA careers, rounding out the suite of products we offer. The new site, www.mba-direct.com, will offer a wide range of MBA jobs, but also offer MBAs from the world’s top programmes the ability to register a detailed profile. Corporate recruiters and headhunters will finally have a one-stop-shop to access the best MBA talent.

Why will this be different? Those interested in finding and hiring experienced MBAs will know that those on the register are interested in discussing career alternatives. In addition to serving newly graduated MBAs, it will also cater for those who graduated several years ago, have proven themselves in their chosen career, and are ripe for the next senior management challenge. The international nature of Europe’s MBA programmes also means that these candidates will have a perspective and language skills that are mandatory for global company success.

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The Association of MBAs believes that the MBA plays a very important role in creating world-class business leadership. They are organizing an MBA Employers Forum on the 18th of September 2006 from 3pm in London to facilitate links between business schools, employers and MBA graduates, whilst providing examples of best practice in the recruitment and retention of high-quality MBAs.

The delegates will be senior managers and human resources professionals from companies recruiting and sponsoring MBAs, as well as representatives from the Association’s 120 accredited business schools.

Interested to learn more about mba-direct.com and the value of MBA graduates to your organization? Would you like to attend the Forum? To find out more about the Forum contact Jon Dear at AMBA on +44 (0)20 7246-2694 or at j.dear@mbaworld.com.

Reprinted from Executive Grapevine, July 2006