The Westford Online MBA Program has been a tremendous experience for me and my daughter, Rachel. We are Maltese citizens and both of us joined the online MBA course in July 2017 from Malta.
I am a radiologist by profession, and I live in Malta. Since 2000, I have been building a company that delivers private healthcare services and runs DaVinci Hospital, which is located in Malta. Between 2000 and 2017, I managed DaVinci HealthCare Ltd, which grew from an initial 3-person team to a multi- disciplinary group of over 200 healthcare professionals.
Rachel was living abroad furthering her studies in various institutions between 2009 and 2014. Her first degree is a BSc in pharmacology, which she obtained from Manchester University. Between 2014 and 2018, she was active in the scuba diving industry in Thailand. Having attained the highest possible skills in the practice of scuba diving and considerable experience in managing a dive shop, she felt it was time to set up on her own.
Thus, in early 2017, Rachel and I decided to join the Online MBA program at the Business School, Westford University College to obtain the formal management training we both needed. It was also a bonding opportunity that allowed us to achieve personal growth together even though we were living so far apart.
The MBA program awarded by Cardiff Metropolitan University was an incredible experience for me. I realized that I had many weaknesses as a manager of which I was totally unaware. I had been oblivious to certain signals from my staff and subtle behaviours of my colleagues. Important management processes and vital communication channels with all stakeholders in my organisation were either poorly structured or absent. The experience I had as a manager was of great benefit to me for the MBA course, because I could link the theoretical teaching with my daily experience.
Rachel had been used to managing dive shops in Thailand and could also link her practical experience with the information delivered during the course. Her technical experience in diving was very important for her practice, but dealing with people, both employees and clients, posed an important challenge if she planned to open her own business. Meanwhile, Rachel and her partner have taken over an ongoing business in Malta, which includes a dive shop, a pub/restaurant, and a guesthouse.
We both greatly appreciate the value, which this online MBA course from Westford has brought into our lives. We are more capable to address the daily running of our businesses, but, more importantly, it has given us a great bonding opportunity even though our business lives are so diverse.
Dr. Pierre Vassallo
MD, PhD, FACA, Arzt Fur Radiologie, MBA
Managing Director – DaVinci Hospital
Westford Alumni
