Before moving to Cambridge, I spent 6 years working as a finance professional in the healthcare industry across 3 different countries (Australia, China, Malaysia). Throughout my career, I’ve always been driven by the core mission behind pharma: chasing the miracles of science to improve lives.

When I joined the Cambridge MBA, stepping into the role of Co-Chair for the Healthcare Special Interest Group (SIG) felt like a natural progression. I felt a strong responsibility to arrange impactful events for our community, which ultimately inspired me to take on the leadership role for our recent flagship conference, “Healthcare: What’s Next?”

Bringing together over 100 participants and 15 industry-leading speakers to discuss the future of healthcare – from AI strategy in pharma to building future-ready HealthTech careers – was a thrilling experience. However, the learning curve was steep. Beyond the logistics, I wanted to ensure we had a professional digital presence. With the help of our Digital Lead, we built our conference website (https://www.cjbshealthcaresig.live/) from the ground up. This was a highlight for me: I actually learned vibe-coding from scratch during the process, which allowed us to create a sleek, functional hub for our attendees that received incredible compliments.

One of our most significant hurdles was securing external funding. Navigating this taught me a great deal about resilience. Thanks to the support from Cambridge Business School Club and Alumni & External Engagements Team, we overcame this and are now leaving a legacy: we are actively archiving our entire organising process, transferring our website domains, and passing on our funding surplus to the next cohort, ensuring they have a strong foundation to build upon next year.

Pulling off an event of this scale would have been entirely impossible without the collaborative spirit of the Cambridge MBA ecosystem. The support we received was truly 360-degree:

The Careers Team connected us with incredible alumni and faculty.

The Marketing Team amplified our reach, promoting the event both online and offline.

The Programme Team stepped in with vital funding support.

Our Faculty generously offered their time to speak and provide profound industry insights.

Our Alumni returned to share their own organising experiences and serve as expert panellists.

Our Cohort rallied behind us, serving as dedicated committee members and volunteers.

The personal gains from this journey went far beyond professional networking. One of the most memorable moments occurred just 15 hours before the conference. It was my birthday, but I was far too buried in final-stage preparations to even think about celebrating. To my total surprise, my core committee and best friends from the MBA cohort organized a secret party right here at Cambridge Judge! They prepared everything – decorations, gifts, cake, and most importantly, their presence. It was a powerful reminder of the lifelong friendships we are building here.

The feedback since the conference has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve received appreciation via LinkedIn and emails from our speakers, and attendees have been sharing their highlights across Instagram and LinkedIn. For anyone looking to navigate this rapidly changing industry, the prevailing message from our speakers was clear: network boldly, and remain highly adaptable to shifting policies, emerging technologies, and evolving cultures.

Looking ahead to my own next steps in the healthcare space, this experience has only deepened my commitment to the industry. Organising “Healthcare: What’s Next” was a defining highlight of my MBA journey, proving that when you combine a passionate community with unparalleled institutional support, you can truly shape the conversations that drive the future.