Hermeet Gill was born in London and studied engineering at Oxford as an undergraduate. On completing her degree she joined Pricewaterhouse Coopers as a Management Consultant. She remained in London in their Management Consultancy Services division, later under IBM ownership, until she returned to Oxford to do her MBA.

Working in consultancy Hermeet felt she had gained a lot of experience very quickly so doing an MBA was hard to justify. With seven years of work experience under her belt she wanted a course that really broadened her horizons. She didn’t intend to return to Oxford but after researching courses worldwide she decided that Said Business School offered a more innovative programme. She was particularly interested in the Design Leadership elective. “I thought the Saïd Business School electives made for a much broader course,” she says. “Oxford is a new business school and it seemed more pioneering than established places.”
 
Hermeet enjoyed being back in the academic environment and the new opportunities and experiences it brought her. “As a consultant I’d used management theory in practice but I hadn’t had the luxury of spending that much time studying it,” explains Hermeet. “With the MBA I really had the time to learn and absorb.” She felt privileged to work alongside such a diverse and experienced group of students and faculty. On completing her MBA Hermeet began management consultancy on a freelance basis and now works for herself.
 
“I wanted to apply my business skills in a more creative environment,” says Hermeet. “I work with design companies and social enterprises and it’s an exciting space to be involved in.”. Now, as an Oxford resident she finds the Business School alumni provide her with a good sense of what’s happening across the world. She credits the MBA with not just giving her a wide range of contacts and job opportunities but finds the course itself relevant. “All the things we learnt have been useful at different times,” says Hermeet. “It all adds up to what we take out into the world.”