- Programme studied: Executive Global Master’s in Management (EGMiM)
- Year of Graduation: 2024
- Twitter profile
With a background in sports science, Bob decided to pursue the EGMiM programme to undertake some formal studying and training in management, all whilst being Head of Performance at Heart of Midlothian Football Club. This role includes working with their men’s and women’s senior squads as well as academy teams, and overseeing experts in sports science, physiotherapy, medicine, nutrition, and psychology to ensure their athletes are supported at every level.
Current job title and description of what this role entails:
My current job title is Head of Performance at Heart of Midlothian Football Club based in Edinburgh, Scotland. This role entails leading the club’s performance department, which is a multidisciplinary group of applied practitioners from disciplines including: sport science, physiotherapy, medicine, nutrition and psychology, who help to support the players across our men’s and women’s senior teams on a day-to-day basis in addition to the various youth teams that make up our academy. My primary role is to act as the focal point of the department and provide the Head Coach and Sporting Director with a concise and informed voice on all matters relating to our professional players’ health status and their readiness to train. I collaborate with technical coaches to help design the daily training content for the players. I am also heavily involved in operational planning and day-to-day logistics. In performing these duties, I help shape the culture and environment around the training ground.
Tell us about the career journey that led to you studying at LSE?
After leaving high school I undertook vocational training at a local college and initially worked in the health and fitness industry before going to university to study a BSc (Hons) in Sport & Exercise Science. Followed by a master’s by research degree in the same subject, before I moved to Germany to study for my PhD in Sports Medicine at Saarland University, which hosts a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence. After spells working as an applied sport scientist in both the UK and Australia, I joined Hearts in my current role. It was around this time I had a strong desire to undertake some formal study and training in management, a discipline I had hitherto only learnt by doing. The EGMiM programme presented the perfect opportunity to do this with its blend of in-person and remote learning. It has given me a new outlook on the world from a geopolitical and macro-economic perspective. Living up to LSE’s motto, my time studying here has certainly helped me better understand the causes of things.
How has the programme you studied helped your career since you graduated?
The programme has given me confidence when managing upwards and discussing a whole host of topics with executive-level colleagues. I believe that studying EGMiM at LSE has helped enhance my credibility as a leader and manager. Specifically, upskilling in the areas of accountancy, strategy, and managerial economics have proven very practically useful. One of the most enjoyable elements of the programme was learning about the foundations of management as a discipline and field of study. Understanding how management theories and practices have developed over the last 100+ years provided a great grounding from which to build my own knowledge over the two years of the programme.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
Three pieces of advice I’ve received stand out in my mind:
1) Pursue what you enjoy, regardless of whether it falls into the category of a conventional career path or not, but commit to it!
2) A great piece of communication advice – tell the audience what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you’ve told them.
3) “Summa Petenda” (translation: aim for the highest).
What’s the greatest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been extremely fortunate to live, work, and study abroad on more than one occasion throughout my career and while these experiences have been overwhelmingly positive overall, they have also incorporated some challenging times too. Creating a new life in a foreign country can, at times, be a lonely experience. In addition, assimilating into new national and workplace cultures takes time. However, I would urge anyone who may find themselves in such a situation to stick with it and be open-minded and curious as these experiences are also where tremendous personal growth can happen!
What are your hopes for the future?
From a career point of view, I hope to be an integral contributor to a successful, thriving team (whether that be in the context of professional sport or beyond). In whatever form it may take, feeling like you are part of something bigger than yourself is highly motivating to me. On a more fundamental level, I hope that society doesn’t bow to the growing scepticism and anti-science rhetoric that seems to be increasingly prevalent today.
Share with us your fondest memory of the Department of Management.
Our two trips to Bangalore and Cape Town were fantastic experiences for a variety of reasons. In particular, one evening spent together as a cohort enjoying dinner and socialising at a rooftop venue in Bangalore after a day of study visits was amazing. It was an almost surreal moment to be surrounded by friends from all over the world in such a unique place – a great memory!
If you would like to be our Alum of the Month or if you would like to nominate a Department of Management alumni, please email dom.alumni@lse.ac.uk.