C. Describe a time when you took a great risk. What was the outcome? SBELL

1. Describe a time when you took a GREAT Risk
What was the outcome?
Sharon Bell
IE MBA Applicant 2014

2. Have I EVER taken a GREAT Risk ?
• Initially these things spring to my mind…
• NONE of which I´ve done …
• A Risk can be defined as the
• Potential of losing something of value
• Conclusion
• I have clearly taken A GREAT RISK

3. Clearly I HAVE taken a GREAT Risk
• Mid September 2005, after a chance meeting with a graduate recruiter
my life course changed significantly
From working here … To going here everyday …
From doing this … To tackling this …

4. Why was it a GREAT Risk
• My network in Optometry was strong, University lecturers,
Heads of hospital departments , Private practice managers
and countless peers
• I had been academically exceptional
 1st Class Masters Degree for 4 years
 Prizes for dissertation and Professional Studies
• Few people supported my change and some resisted it
“Optometry is something you can always go back to”
“ You know nothing about banking”

5. What were the other considerations to this GREAT Risk
• I had a longstanding interest in finance and business
• An entrepreneurial spirit from my schooldays
• Influence of my wider network, advisors, mentors
• Encouraged an early change
• Confirmed there was lots to learn from the
corporate world
• Industry pressures in Optometry such as static
wages, limited roles
• Made this a less appealing career path

6. The Outcome of taking a GREAT Risk
• My career has been entirely transformed in a short
space of time
• My skills and experience were transferable
• My CV has been bolstered through my
commitment to professional development
 CFA designation achieved
 Prince 2
• I´ve now worked in over 6 countries and touched
countless others professionally
• My network is global and spans industries that
didn’t even EXIST 10 years ago
• Participated in mentoring schemes for graduate
• I´m the sum of all of these previous experiences
• Leading large project teams
• Managing multimillion $ client portfolios
• Appearing in The Times Newspaper with
Barclays Earthwatch

7. A final thought on taking GREAT Risks
• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do
than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor,
catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain