The confidence to be myself

Rosina Smith’s corporate career was fast tracking its way to executive positions, right up until the point she encountered Henley’s Global Executive MBA.

Armed with a degree in maths and management, she entered the insurance industry by way of a prestigious graduate programme at a high profile global insurance company. For seven years Rosina thrived, working with technical experts in London and Munich, tackling genuinely meaningful problems – like ensuring flood protection coverage for UK residents.

‘I absolutely loved it; I felt like I was working on problems that had real meaning in the world.’

But as the 10-year mark approached, a deep-seated restlessness began to set in. Seeing colleagues settle into decades-long tenures, Rosina felt an intense ‘itch to do something else’. This pivotal moment marked her first major act of courage: she stepped away from big corporate to join the dynamic world of insurance startups. It was here, while at a high-growth InsurTech company, that she decided to pursue the next step in her professional journey: an Executive MBA.

The goal, she admits, was a conventional one: ‘I wanted to be the CEO of a big insurance company.’ Yet, the MBA she chose turned out to have other plans for her.

More than a business qualification

Henley’s Global Executive MBA was far more than a business qualification. ‘It was a philosophical and reflective journey that challenged my fundamental assumptions,’ she says.

Rosina explains that the programme was very much explorative and reflective, and challenged her to think deeply about her purpose. Its structure, especially the focus on personal development and immersive global experiences, created the necessary space for profound shifts.

‘I realised the importance of distance from the daily grind. This led me to literally shift where I was – I moved out of central London into the expansive, reflective space of the countryside. This new environment fostered creativity and a capacity for more considered thought. And I started yoga teaching training, which I am absolutely loving.’

During this process, while she realised that insurance aligns with her purpose and is an industry she loves, the MBA also made her realise that she needed more.

The turning point was visceral and unforgettable. While completing the final personal development module, Rosina had an emotional breakthrough, realising the pursuit of mere ‘business status’ was no longer serving her.

She recalls having an epiphany during a train ride back to her hometown. While discussing her career with her parents – who have always lived happily outside the corporate world – she realised: ‘However stimulating my corporate experience had been, life is also much bigger than that.’

A new definition of success: Freedom and connection

This realisation wasn’t an abandonment of her career or ambition; it was an empowerment. It felt like the process of self-discovery had given her the confidence to be herself.

She went from chasing status to chasing impact, and stopped looking at her task list as an obligation and rather as what contribution she could make. ‘I’m no longer chasing promotion. I’m here to contribute something meaningful.’

‘Ironically, the MBA gave me the confidence to realise that life is more than just business.’

After the MBA, she decided to take a sabbatical to India in which she truly saw the breadth of ways we can make an impact.

Sudden jumps into world exploration have the capacity to make HR managers nervous, but Rosina feels this attitude is wrong: Her newfound freedom makes her a more impactful employee – happier, more focused, and not scared to challenge the status quo. She is now helping a US-based InsurTech startup launch its UK business, applying her industry expertise while building something from the ground up. Crucially, her work is now guided by the deep-seated mission that first attracted her to the industry and its core purpose: helping people and businesses get peace of mind when things go wrong.

Seeing ‘A’ differently

Rosina says that, in retrospect, part of the motivation for pursuing her MBA was a search for community, and she has found that in spades. The intense pressure and vulnerability of the five global study trips helped forge deep, lasting bonds with her international cohort, and by giving herself permission to step out of the daily grind, she’s found new communities, like the yoga community, that are bringing her connection in ways she could never have imagined.

But she’s also realised that the insurance industry itself is, at its core, a community-driven initiative where the premiums of the many support the losses of the few. ‘We don’t explain that very well, do we?’ she says.

Such realisations are all part of the power of learning to look at yourself and the world differently, and recognising the limits of your own experience, which an MBA really encourages, she says.

Working with an NGO in South Africa and tech startups in Miami, Rosina learned to put aside her specific biases gained from years of dealing with insurance executives and, instead, look at the world with fresh eyes.

‘I think it was Prof Chris Dalton who said that it’s not about going from A to B, it’s about seeing A differently,’ she says. Returning to her office in London after collaborating with cohorts from Finland and Denmark, Rosina saw her own industry with fresh, critical eyes, prompting new and necessary conversations. All of which goes to show that the ultimate return on investment from the MBA was not just about new knowledge but about who you become. It’s about achieving the mental agility and personal clarity to define your own meaningful life, and then having the confidence to live it fully.

‘When people ask me if they should do an MBA, I say, yes, sure, 100% – just be prepared to tear up the expectations you go in with. You’re going to get a whole new set of goals. But just welcome those with open arms.’