Denmark SCLM Graduate 2013-2014

"The experience gave me a global perspective"

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When we talk to WMG alumni, many of them comment on the international atmosphere at Warwick, with students from across the world coming here to study. For Helle Lyngby, this was one of the most enjoyable aspects of her time here – and it helped her to build new skills, as she explained.

“Right from my first day, I was meeting people from different nationalities and cultures who were there to study on different courses. This makes Warwick feel like a truly global environment and it made my time there constantly stimulating and fascinating, as well as helping me to develop a broader perspective.

Working with a diverse mix of individuals with a range of experiences, I found myself learning a great deal from them. It certainly improved my communication, listening and teamworking skills, as well as giving me a greater insight into people that I think is extremely valuable – and valued by employers too.”

Everything in one place

Helle came to Warwick in 2013, shortly after completing her first degree in Business Development Engineering at Aarhus University in Denmark. Having become interested in supply chain and logistics during her BSc studies, she decided that an MSc was the ideal way to build on her technical knowledge. WMG’s course would also give her the opportunity to develop business, management and leadership skills.

“I liked the campus right away,” she said. “It’s great that everything you need is in one place and in easy reach – from study resources to cafes, shops and even a cinema.”

Once on her course Helle found, like many students, that the structure of the programme was unlike anything she had experienced before. For each module, there is an intensive week of lectures from 9am to 6pm, followed by a period in which students are free to work on their own initiative: researching the subject in more depth and completing their post-module assignment. This is a new routine for many people and can be challenging at first, though Helle was keen to point out the benefits.

“I really liked this way of working. By totally focusing on one subject area at one time, I immersed myself completely in it. There were no distractions and I could explore the area in depth and detail. This helped me to build a thorough understanding of each module subject.

“The teachers are excellent too,” she continued. “They have real industry experience and bring their subject to life, showing how the ideas you are being taught are applied in actual business situations to develop working solutions. This takes the theory to another level completely.”

Helle also commented on the variety of the modules themselves: “You go from technical areas like transportation techniques and warehousing to more business-focused subjects including using statistics to solve problems and understanding organisational culture. I particularly enjoyed the Organisations, People and Performance module as it was a completely new area for me and I learned so much.”

Advice and support

For her dissertation, Helle looked into how sustainability could improve performance in the supply chain. “My supervisor introduced me to F1 in Schools, an organisation that challenges school teams to design tomorrow’s Formula 1 cars. I did a lot of research and talked to the management team and students themselves. It was a fascinating project but also challenging as I was constantly juggling priorities and working to deadlines. My supervisor gave me a lot of advice and support all the way through though.”

Soon after leaving WMG, Helle began work as a Business Process Graduate with Danske Bank. She had originally applied for the job back in March. “The Careers Service staff at Warwick were very supportive,” she said. “They helped me to make sure that my CV and covering letter were as good as they possibly could be.”

Helle’s job involves developing process improvements to ensure the bank delivers a fast and effective customer experience. “I’m enjoying it immensely and what I learned on my MSc course has come in useful,” she said. “Apart from everything else, my English language skills improved a lot during my year, as well as my ability to work in teams with all kinds of different people.