Nidhi
Sudhan

While on placement at Chelsea Football Club, Nidhi was nominated for the Pride of Chelsea award, recognising her commitment to the values of the organisation.

Why did you choose NTU and your course?

“NTU’s Times Higher Education and The Guardian rankings, and NBS’ EQUIS and AACSB accreditations were key factors. I also liked the fact that there is high representation of international students at NTU making the community of students culturally diverse.

Plus, NBS was one of the few schools offering an MBA with specialisation in Digital Marketing Management at the time, which was crucial for my way forward. I also highly appreciate NBS’ stress on responsible and sustainable leadership in curriculum and practice.”

What has stood out about the MBA and NTU so far?

“I have benefited immensely from the multi-dimensional approach to learning at NBS. The education here equips one to be more independent and autonomous, while being personalised to one’s needs and plans for the future. Workshops, seminars, projects, and various activities form part of the learning process and it is entirely up to us how much we use it to our advantage.”

How would you promote NTU to potential students in 10 words or fewer?

“Education & personal development that is in touch with the times.”

Describe a typical day for you in your placement at Chelsea FC.

"I assist the Senior Data Analyst at Chelsea FC and we share the workload and autonomously meet briefs that come in from all departments. Some days, typically Mondays and beginning of the month are about reports and updating dashboards that go out to key stakeholders with insights on key changes or growth. Most other days are spent working on projects that require querying the database for in-depth analysis or tracking the performance of campaigns or extracting a specific audience for targeting, and then building interactive visualisations or slide decks to present the analysis for stakeholders to build strategies on. These are punctuated by ad-hoc requests that require anything from a day to a week to finish.

Due to my previous experience marketing to Asian audiences, I also work with the Fan Engagement team on Chelsea’s growth and engagement strategy in India, and provide key market insights along with ethnological and socio-cultural perspectives. All the above require several exchanges with stakeholders from departments like hospitality, membership, ticket sales, CRM, Chelsea Digital Ventures etc."

Why were you nominated for the Pride of Chelsea award and how does it feel to be nominated?

"I was nominated for one of the 6 organisational values of Chelsea FC – Many Teams, One Club – for reaching out to Fan Engagement on the India market growth strategy. When I first heard of Chelsea's efforts in India, I felt I could contribute my knowledge and insights from the market, substantiated by data to help sharpen strategies."

Why did you want to undertake a placement at Chelsea FC?

"Since I have had significant work experience before coming to NTU to pursue an MBA, I was clear that a placement should add value to my career and not be just another admin or marketing intern’s role. I applied for the role when I came across it being advertised on InPlace, since it was specific to the digital marketing ecosystem I aspired to be part of and knew that the role would help me learn substantial new skills that will make me further qualified for what I want to pursue ahead. Additionally, a brand like Chelsea - a top EPL club, would give me added leverage while applying to global brands in future."

What skills and experience are you gaining as part of this placement?

"I have learnt a whole new bunch of skills including data and digital analytics and visualisation on software like FastStats, Adobe Campaign, Adobe Analytics and Power BI. I have also acquired fairly advanced Excel skills. Additionally, I have taken day-long workshops on Presentation skills and Networking & Negotiation through Chelsea FC’s Learning and Development Programmes."

What is the community like at NTU?

"Since NTU has a huge international community, it has been a fantastic learning experience learning from cohort members from different cultural backgrounds. There is a great global community with cultural experiences and festivities brought together at the Global Lounge at NTU as well."

Why did you want to study in the UK?

"After having worked for several years, I have often felt the need to update my skills and knowledge from a global perspective. After a lot of research, I zeroed in on a UK education mainly for how it is recognised globally for its quality and also to understand what it takes to be a coveted resource on the global stage. I wanted to acquire a competitive edge over other candidates while applying for jobs by having professional and educational experience in multiple markets."

How is NTU for international students?

"With its stress on diversity and equality, I think NTU is one of the few universities where students from all parts of the world would feel at home. NTU not only welcomes cultural differences but it celebrates them, and recognises the importance of such an exchange in creating global citizens who would go on to build a more collaborative future."