Two talented engineers have become the latest recipients of a prestigious scholarship which aims to instil business, leadership and managerial skills at the heart of UK industry.
The young engineers have each been awarded a £50,000 Sainsbury Engineering Management Fellows (SMF) scholarship to study for an MBA at the world’s top business schools.
The scholarship was started by Lord Sainsbury of Turville in 1987 to increase the quantity and quality of engineers in senior executive positions in UK companies, combining strong technological skills with effective management skills to drive forward the country’s economy.
The duo will join an alumni of more than 400 Sainsbury Management Fellows who have received world-leading business education through the scholarship programme. Since its inception in 1987, recipients have founded more than 300 new companies, worth more than £4.8 billion and created more than 20,000 jobs in the process.
Two of the latest recipients will begin their studies this autumn. They are:
Commenting on his scholarship award, Tom Pickering said: "An MBA will give me a business education, giving me a platform to launch my own business. An MBA is an exciting, vibrant learning environment where I can test my ideas, work with people from different backgrounds and help foster a mentality of excellence.”
Neel Gunturi said: “When I heard about the Sainsbury Management Fellows scholarship, it clearly stood out. The attraction was the community, which was quite active and entrepreneurial. The people and the network I’ll meet along the way will be vast – through INSEAD, the SMF, the wider EIBF team, the Royal Academy of Engineering and so on. The networks are huge.”
After graduating with their MBAs, these SMFs will become part a prestigious network through the wider SMF community. And in turn, these newly graduated SMFs will share their knowledge and expertise with upcoming young engineers through a variety of activities, including mentorship.
EIBF awards up to 16 Sainsbury Management Fellows scholarships to talented engineers and scientists each year. Applications are currently open for the next set of scholarships.