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HEADLINE NEWS

Women’s Enterprise Day

With
Warwick Entrepreneurs & WoW

WoW has been asked to be a strategic partner in

running or supporting Women's Enterprise Day on 18th
In this edition… November 2009, which is being used to
celebrate/showcase the achievement of Women in
New member’s section business at Warwick.

Someone from the outside Warwick Entrepreneurs and WBS-EN are closely aligned

New Social Media route for WoW

and in November 2009 (16th - 22nd), they will be
running Global Entrepreneurship Week at Warwick,
Do you need a buddy?
which will feature Entrepreneurship Day, Cultural
Honorary awards announced at WBS Enterprise Day, Women's Enterprise Day, Social
Enterprise Day and Internet Enterprise Day.
Being a Mom and an MBA – can you

Warwick Entrepreneur’s Chairman, Kostas Mavroulakis,

do it?
is excited about WoW’s involvement and we are
currently in discussions to see how to make the best of
the occasion. We will bring you more news as we have
it.

Women of Warwick publication (Autumn 2009)

 CONTENTS PAGE

PAGE 4 Woman of the month -

Balkis Sulaiman

PAGE 6 Member of the month –

Bernie Ritchie- Management Sushi
Editor: Dustie Houchin
PAGE 8 Specialist of the month –
Contributors:
Kerry Turner – Systems Thinking
Bernie Ritchie
PAGE 11 Social Media – Twitter WoW
Kerry Turner

Elena Patra PAGE 12 Buddy Scheme

Balkis Sulaiman PAGE 13 News from WBS

PAGE 15 Outstanding MBA Citizen

If you wish to place an article or

editorial in the next newsletter,
please email:
dustie.houchin@virgin.net

A WOW publication by Dustie Houchin

2
 WOMAN OF
THE MONTH

Balkis Sulaiman

Hi! My name is Balkis and I am from Malaysia. In

June 2008, I won the one and only full scholarship
from my company (which means, fees and family
MASTERING THE
living expenses are being paid for plus my salary
ART OF
back home). I felt like a winner of ‘Britain’s Got
REARRANGING
Talent’. In August 2008, I received an offer from
By Balkis Sulaiman
Warwick Business School to attend their full-time
MBA and this is my story of how I made managed
to juggle my studies with the commitment of a
large and healthy family.

As for me, I will

Back home, in addition to my role as a Business
remember this year as
Head, I’m also a mother of 6 children, who range
‘stimulating and thought-
from 3 to 15. Being a very career-oriented person,
I admit that I seldom do domestic chores provoking’. Just like an

because we have domestic helpers. During my MBA, I have finally

spare time, I run a modest Childcare centre for armed myself with a
the community with my sister. complete toolkit of skills,
So here’s my storyboard….
a bit like a Swiss army
knife.
(continued)

3
 I came to WBS and bang! My husband
said, ‘Honey, we are not allowed to bring
the maid and I can’t leave my job. Are you
ok on your own, with the kids?’ with a
gasping look, I said it out, ‘Sure, I can’ (in
my heart, oh my God!).
So here I am now, nearing the finish line of
the MBA 2008-2009. What a long year it has
been, but very fulfilling; a year where I
have learned to understand the true
meaning of consistency and priority.
When I look back, I realize that it all goes
back to what you want in life and what
your true objectives are. Once you know
that, other matters are just about
rearranging - rearranging routines,
rearranging priorities and rearranging time.
I can attest indeed, it’s not that difficult but
takes a lot of sacrifice. Let’s say, I stretched
all my limits to the maximum.
My daily life gets better each day as I
master the not-so-routine timetable - the
children’s and mine, and let’s just say that
my time spent managing a childcare
centre has finally been put to good use.
In essence, it is Operations Management
and Supply Chain Management at work in
my household. I observed my kids timing in
their activities, from getting everyone
4
ready to school, to finding the quickest
way to prepare meals (making a few
variety of meals at the weekend, to freeze
and use during the week). I used to be a
size 12, but am now a size 8, my white hair
seems full and I have 2 pairs of reading
glasses, but I feel fulfilled as a person.
Very early on in the year, we took time to
explain to the children that we were not
here on holiday; that mum is here to study.
We explained that we would need to help
each other, as no extra help would be
available. My kids have learnt to live as
well; they have grown up so much and
learnt to think for themselves. They have
learnt the meaning of tolerance and
respect; the key words in life, and
something that I have been trying to
explain to them for years.
As for me, I will remember this year as
‘stimulating and thought-provoking’. Just
like an MBA, I have finally armed myself
with a complete toolkit of skills, a bit like a
Swiss army knife.
To all ladies out there, believe in the
impossible. We are never short on brains,
take whatever comes to you first and sort it
out later.
Balkis Sulaiman MBA
 MEMBER OF
THE MONTH
Bernie Ritchie

With her new company

Management Sushi
Dustie Houchin interviews BERNIE RITCHIE

Nothing fishy about Management Sushi!

WOW Member of the Month is Bernie ‘sushi’ to emphasis the easily digestible
Ritchie, a Warwick FT MBA during 1997-1998. fresh, insightful and innovative thinking side
Bernie is an established brand and of the business with high quality as a given.
marketing communications consultant who Equally, the brand name positions
has recently set up Management Sushi, a Management Sushi clearly in the social
business consultancy service offering media world. Here, the brand offers bite-
brand-building and business development sized business insights and updates in its
advice to small and medium-sized blog (www.managementsushi.com), via its
entrepreneurial businesses. two Twitter handles [@management sushi
and @businesshaiku), via Delicious and
So why ‘Management Sushi’?! “Ever since
Facebook and also through LinkedIn.”
my Warwick days I have been passionate
about management and business thinking”,
Bernie tells me. “I wanted to set up a
consultancy service which emphasised the
management and business development
side of my business as much as the
marketing and branding side. I knew I
wanted the word management’ to be part
of the ‘consultancy brand name and then
hitupon the word ‘sushi’ upon the word

5
When asked about why so much emphasis insights gained at Warwick as well as on the
on the social media side of things for ground since that time. The blog and the
Management Sushi, Bernie explained, social media side of things is a newer
“Firstly, these days, if you can’t operate in venture, which clearly allows
the social media sphere as well as advise communications skills together with the
on its business positioning and reputation management and brand, marketing and
management advantages, then, in this corporate communications skills together
Web 2.0 world, you are just not doing your with the management and business insights
job as a marketing and brand consultant gained at Warwick as well as on the ground
properly.” Beyond this, however, lies since that time. The blog and the social
another critical business positioning point, media side of things is a newer venture,
on which Bernie elaborates: “I am which clearly allows Management Sushi to
interested in consultancy provision, not just engage in real world, real time public-
on a local or indeed national scale, but in domain communications and
the unlimited virtual consultancy possibilities conversations. Recently, for example, when
presented, which can now be sourced so global marketing guru Seth Godin blogged
much more easily using social media, the about Internship, Bernie hooked up on
virtual arteries of today’s hyper-globalised Twitter with a young intern at the Chartered
world”. Institute of Management and ultimately
developed a co-produced blog on this
Bernie has an extensive 20+ years’
subject on Management Sushi. Similarly,
professional marketing and
when ex-Lehman insider Lawrence
communications background. She kicked
McDonald launched his exposé “Colossal
off her communications career in London
Failure of Common Sense”, Bernie
working in a number of leading
connected with Lawrence on Twitter,
international PR agencies and then moved
Facebook and LinkedIn and then
into in-house and mainstream brand and
produced a book review of the book on
marketing consultancy following her
“Cool Books”, the business book review
Warwick stint. Bernie has extensive cross-
section of her website.
sector experience and has worked in a
number of global and international contexts
as well as in entrepreneurial start-ups and
micro sectors.

It is clear that Management Sushi reflects

the combination of Bernie’s established
brand, marketing and corporate business
 On a final note, I ask Bernie what she thinks
about WOW. “It’s a fantastic initiative”, she
tells me, “and, it’s great have become part
“These days, women
of the WOW team”. She goes on, “These
in business need all
days, women in business need all the help
they can get and the WOW global network the help they can

allows some extraordinary networking and get and the WOW

information sharing which can add to every global network
WOW members’ business savvy. As for
allows some
WOW’s new social media side of things, this
extraordinary
only serves to boost such information
sharing and global conversations, as well as networking and

put Warwick Business School and WOW’s information sharing

profile right out there in the public domain!” which can add to

All in all it sounds exciting times for every WOW

Management Sushi – with nothing fishy in members’ business
the least about it! If you want to know more
savvy.”
about the Management Sushi business or
have a project you would like to discuss, just
check out the Contact section on Bernie’s
website for all her contact details.

www.managementsushi.com

7

Kerry Turner: A Career in Consultancy (and
teaching!)
As a 10 year old I wrote; “My ambition is
either to be a teacher or a librarian. But I
think I’ll change my mind and not be
either.”
I did change my mind! Having gained a
first class degree in math and a master’s
degree in Operational Research
(Management science), I began my
career as a trainee management
consultant with Deloitte Haskins & Sells in
1985. I stayed for 20 years through mergers
with Coopers & Lybrand and Price
Waterhouse and the sale of the consulting
business to IBM. I specialised in
Performance Management, especially the
design of key performance indicators, for
which I was a recognised thought leader
and was awarded the highest possible
global capability ranking in IBM.
I left IBM in 2005 and acquired a home in
France. This enabled me to apply the
cause and effect techniques I used to
understand and improve business
8
SPECIALIST OF
THE MONTH
Kerry Turner
A career in consultancy
performance to topics as diverse as horse-
riding, health, education and climate
change. I published my first book “Riding
Dynamics” in 2007 and have two other
books in the pipeline.
In 2008 I returned to consulting as a
freelance advisor. My current main client is
KPMG’s Government services group. I
specialise in helping my clients to create
and deliver better strategies for the
sustainable future of their organisations.
Past and current clients include: Nestle,
ABB, M&S, Allied Domecq, Bass, Inchcape,
Abbey, Thorn UK, Spillers, BMW, Ministry of
Defense, DVLA, Dept of Health, Ministry of
Justice.
As a 10 year old I wrote; “My ambition is
either to be a teacher or a librarian. But I
think I’ll change my mind and not be
either.”
 Systems Thinking
Through my career I learnt many analytical
techniques for understanding and
improving a business but the most valuable
skill I acquired is Systems Thinking. This is a
way of understanding the cause and effect
relationships driving performance. It
enables us to make explicit our implicit
knowledge of the way a system works
within a diagram, which we call a cause
and effect map. These maps enable us to
share, challenge and build consensus
around the way things work.
These maps are of great value to test the
logic and internal consistency of an existing
strategy. They can be used to understand
strategic options and stimulate creative
thinking. They can be used to identify
“leverage points” in the business and to
consider the consequences of alternative
interventions – not just the more obvious
short term impacts but also the longer term
consequences of our actions. They enable
us to identify balanced, focussed and
consistent KPI’s to ensure our strategies pass
the ultimate test – The test of time.
These maps are not only of great value in
business decision making. They can be
used to inform better personal choices, to
improve relationships (the way we work
together), to understand economies,
countries, even the whole world.
9
I wish that I had been taught this at school
instead of how to pass exams. My aim now
is to see this approach being taught to our
children. I believe that this is fundamental
to continuous performance
improvement….to lifelong learning. And
what better gift can we give our children
than the ability to learn effectively and
make better choices?
Perhaps I am to become a teacher after
all…
These maps are of great value to test the
logic and internal consistency of an existing
strategy. They can be used to understand
strategic options and stimulate creativity.
Next steps… I am currently planning a
lecture series to raise awareness of this
approach. I am giving the first of these
lectures at Lancaster University Business
School on Friday 7 November (all
welcome). Further dates are to be
arranged in London (South Bank University),
Florida, New York and Melbourne (and
hopefully Warwick Business School!)
My efforts to reach kids continue. I am
presenting to staff at “Sports Coaching UK”
in October in an effort to introduce these
techniques to kids through sports. I have a
meeting with Osiris Education who organise
CPD courses for teachers with the aim of
arranging inset-training events for teachers.
I am still seeking a school to be a guinea
pig and work with me to introduce these
skills to kids. Any ideas?
 How you can get involved

If you would like to get involved I would love

to hear from you. Why not come along to
one of my lectures, read one of my blogs or
email me at kerry.l.turner@gmail.com.
These maps are of great
For more information: value to test the logic and
internal consistency of an
http://kerrylturner.blogspot.com/ for my cv.
existing strategy. They can
http://dpm4ministryoffood.blogspot.com/ to be used to understand
find out more about how Systems Thinking strategic options and
can be integrated into ongoing
stimulate creativity
performance management. The blog
contains an example of using systems
thinking to critique a strategy…in this case
Jamie Oliver’s Manifesto for a Ministry of
Food.

See www.ridingdyanmics.blogspot.com for

information on my book “Riding Dynamics”.

Jamie Oliver's Ministry of

Food manifesto

For more info readers take

a look at the
DPM4ministryoffood blog.

10
 Generally, WOW will aim to tweet about
issues relating to WOW activities and wider
WBS activities. Equally, it will aim to provide
SOCIAL MEDIA tweet updates on key business and

TWITTER WoW management topics of interest, particularly

where these updates relate to the business
By Bernie Richie successes and activities of fast-track
businesswomen. Last but not least, the

WOW is on Twitter! : Have you tweeted yet?! WOW Twitter will also cover areas of interest
to women in business – from the glass
www.twitter.com/womenofwarwick ceiling through to building a progressive
career during today’s global recessionary
The Women of Warwick Twitter handle was
times.
created in early summer. Set to form part of
the WOW social media bundle – from the So how can you join the conversation and
WOW website page, WOW Ning and feel involved?! If you already are a
Facebook activity through to micro- Twitterholic, you can join the conversation
blogging possibilities with the WOW Twitter – immediately, and even RT (retweet!) WOW
WOW’s Twitter account was kicked off in Twitter messages. Twitterholics who have
early summer 2009. After a short break, it will their own Twitter handle can also send DMs
rev back up again from early September (direct messages!) to the WOW Twitter
and will be providing a regular flow of Team providing they are following the
tweets over the coming months. WOW Twitter stream. Alternatively, you can
ask to become part of the WOW Twitter
So what’s the WOW Twitter going to tweet
Team and start to contribute WOW Tweets
about?! Well, in many ways everything and
of your own! Or, simply email Dustie and
everything! Essentially, whatever WOW
the WOW team with subject areas you
members want. The point about Twitter is
would like to see tweeted about!
that it is a global conversation as much as
an information channel. And the other key Don’t be shy – join the conversation!
point about Twitter is that as a micro-blog,
each piece of communication is only 140-
characters long (although you can use
Tweet Deck or Seesmic to shorten the URLs
of any useful information you would like to
share and include these as part of your 140-
character message!).

11

FIND YOUR BUDDY
Just moved to a new country, landed a
new job, or started a new family? And
doing this whilst trying to find your way
around your MBA studies, electives,
studying patterns, accommodation on
campus and also how to tackle the next
TMA? If this sounds familiar then you may
need a buddy.
We all had our moments of feeling slightly
disorientated or overwhelmed by the
amount of studying and the effort required
to juggle studying, working and living a life.
And we all wished (especially the Distance
Learning students among us!) we had
someone to share this anxiety and in the
best-case scenario even get some useful
advice.
Within WoW we have been thinking how
we could put in use the ‘wisdom’ and the
insight students gain as they progress
throughout their studies, to help other
students. And we came up with the Buddy
Scheme - a networking and mentoring
scheme that will pair female WBS MBA
student with a WoW MBA student who is
further through the program (or a recent
MBA Alumnae).
12
BUDDY SCHEME
By Elena Patra
Our mantra is “to guide and support WBS
MBA students by delivering knowledge
expertise about the WBS MBA. To build
empowering and lasting relationships – not
contacts.”
The goal of the program is to match
protégées with mentors on the basis of:
- Study mode (DL, FT, Exec).
- Career interests, role and industry.
- Individual goals.
WoW MBA alumnae will run the pilot
scheme, with the program coordinator
facilitating the matching between mentors
and protégées, based on your profile and
goals. The program’s overall goal is to assist
students to develop their skills and balance
their work, studying and life priorities by
offering informal and friendly advice.
Continued…
 Program Schedule

The program will be running on a

continuous basis, although you may feel
you have more to gain if you join the
BENEFITS OF THE BUDDY SCHEME
program early on in your study program.

… for protégées How To Apply

Î Personal support through your Students

challenging first year(s) from someone
who can relate to your experience. To apply for the Buddy Scheme
Î Advice on studying patterns and Program email Program Coordinator
organizing your schedule. Elena Patra the following
Î Inside information about where to information:
focus on your MBA program (TMAs,
- Type of study program: MBA
Study Notes, exams etc.)
(DL/Exec/FT), other.
Î Advice on electives and dissertation.
- Year of study
Î A friendly chat when times get rough!
- Nationality and current location
- Industry (current and desired)
… for mentors - What is your goal in joining

Î A sense of accomplishment and BSP?

empowerment - Your comments

Î Passion to help and make a

Mentors
difference in other people’s lives
Î Desire to “give back” to the WBS New mentors are always
community in a meaningful way welcome – thank you!

Î Fulfill a sense of social responsibility Email Buddy Scheme Program

Î Recognition by the WBS MBA Coordinator Elena Patra.
community
Î Having experienced the benefits of
mentoring yourself you’d like to
“return the favor” to someone else

13
 NEWS FROM WBS

Val Gooding CBE

Val Gooding was awarded an

Honorary LLD (Doctor of Laws). Val is a
non-executive director to the BBC's
Executive Board, and also a non-
JUST GIVING
executive director of Standard
Melanie Simms from IROB and Simona Chartered and J Sainsbury. She was the
Scarparo from the Accounting Group Chief Executive of BUPA from 1998 to
report on their 6-person 4-day 188-mile 2008, having previously worked at British
charity fund-raising bike ride from Liverpool
Airways. She worked with British Airways
to Hull, following (most of) the Transpennine
for more than 20 years in a variety of
Trail, back in July.
posts including Head of Cabin Services,
"We made it! Surprisingly beautiful it was Head of Marketing
too! Despite all the smiles on the flickr and Director of Asia
pictures, we did actually suffer and it was a Pacific. Val is a Trustee
tough journey. Between us, the six of us
of the British Museum.
have raised over £3,000 so far for the
She was made a CBE
Mouth Cancer Foundation - so many
for services to business
thanks to all of you who contributed.
in the 2002 New Year's
Anyone who still wishes to contribute can Honours list.
do so as the page will be open for a while:
http://www.justgiving.com/brendabrady/ ".

14

THE OUTSTANDING MBA CITIZEN
AWARD GOES TO ONE OF OUR VERY OWN.
The July 2009 graduation ceremony was
followed by an award ceremony, marking
the achievements and successes of WBS
students. In the category of
Outstanding Citizen Award,
acknowledges the individual effort that
particular alumni have made towards the
School's activities and the role that they
have played in supporting their fellow
students throughout the programme.
For the distance learning MBA, the award
went to Elena Patra, for her demonstrated
commitment throughout her studies in a
number of ways. Elena has consistently
been an active participant in my.wbs
discussions and a member of the first SSLC
committee for the pilot in 2007, while she
continued as a member of SSLC until her
final year.
15
OUTSTANDING
MBA CITIZEN
2009
2009
Alongside her role on the SSLC, Elena has
also been an ambassador for the
programme at MBA Fairs in Athens, advising
prospective students and promoting the
WBS MBA. She was nominated by her peers
for the AMBA Student of the Year Award in
the 2007 and was short-listed by the Association
WBS of MBAs along 10 other students from 147
business schools in 68 countries, to represent
the WBS for the final award. Elena is also
one of the founding members of the
Women of Warwick group and an active
Board member.
In support of her rationale - all about giving
to others for everyone to benefit- Elena is
currently promoting the WoW Buddy
Scheme, a mentoring & networking pilot
that aims to bring WBS MBA students from
all cohorts closer.
Well Done Elena..!