Dr Kim Nilsson (MBA 2012) had a successful career in astronomy but came to the realisation that she was more passionate about a career in business than in science. She embarked on an MBA programme at Cranfield University, which led to her meeting her future business partner Jason Muller. Together they started Pivigo – helping businesses to connect with data scientists to harness the power of data. In this interview, Dr Nilsson discusses her MBA journey, how coming to Cranfield connected her with both a new business partner and a new, entrepreneurial career path, and the value of the connections made through the Cranfield alumni network.
Leaving astronomy to pursue a Cranfield MBA.
From the age of thirteen, I wanted to become an Astronomer – so getting my PhD was a huge milestone for me. However, in continuing with two post-doctoral positions after that, I slowly came to realise that the tasks I enjoyed the most were those related to project management and team work rather than those related to the scientific work, such as analysing data and writing computer programmes. Being a very driven and ambitious person meant that I came to the conclusion that there must be another career for me, where I could use these personal strengths to make a difference.
There was a long path between coming to that decision and arriving at Cranfield, figuring out just how to make that transition. Ultimately, I felt that doing an MBA would be the best way as it would expose me to the world of business, and give me a year to find my place in it. I chose Cranfield for two main reasons; I was impressed with the focus on personal and professional development, and the School’s close ties with industry. A visit to the campus where I experienced an extremely welcoming and friendly environment clinched the deal.
Having to experience the challenge of bridging the gap between academia and industry would later form the basis of Pivigo.
There were many challenges in making the transition from academia to industry. First, knowing what sort of jobs you can apply to, and would interest you. When you are in academia, you are on a path and there is little choice or room for deviation from that path. Outside of academia, the options and paths are numerous – it can be daunting to decide what to apply for in the first place! Second, applying and interviewing also present a challenge. Writing an academic CV is very different from a business CV. In one case, I was lucky that I encountered a supportive HR manager who, in a call, teased the information they needed out of me and then asked me to resubmit my application. In most other cases, my CV was just binned. Interviewing, and how to present yourself in a business interview, is also a hurdle for academics. It typically becomes a painful 6-12 month exercise for academics to get all these things right, before they finally find their first job in industry, and it is just wasted time.
For me, my STEM background was a hugely beneficial advantage when we started the company. Not only did I have a good understanding of analytics and data itself, I also knew exactly what made academics great data scientists, how to tease it out of them and how to best manage their expectations. Our entire business was based on the passion to bridge the talent gap between academia and industry, and on my experiences.
Studying at Cranfield created a connection that sparked a business idea.
I met my Pivigo co-founder, Jason Muller, quite early on in the Cranfield MBA programme, during a career workshop. I found out about his past as a successful entrepreneur in the recruitment industry, and told him about my challenges as an academic. I think that was the very first seed for the idea behind Pivigo. When, a few months later, we had to come up with an idea for a new venture for our entrepreneurship elective – Jason and I knew we wanted to think about a business model that would bridge the gap between academia and industry. At the end of the programme, having spent a few months working on the business plan together and getting feedback, we agreed we wanted to give it a go. Pivigo owes its existence to Jason and I meeting at Cranfield.
Before the MBA, I always felt that entrepreneurship was too risky – the MBA showed me that risk can be managed, and advice from Sarah Willingham (MBA 2003) gave me confidence.
In some ways I should have known that I would end up as an entrepreneur. I am actually a fourth generation female entrepreneur, and was always the sort of person who liked to organise events and get involved in leadership roles. However, I was very risk averse and before the MBA I always felt that entrepreneurship was too risky. What the MBA showed me was a) that risk can be managed and should be balanced against reward, and b) that there is not much more to it than common sense and good communication skills. Still, it helped that I had Jason by my side as a co-founder, and of course a very supportive husband who never wavered in his belief in my abilities! I am extremely grateful for all the people who have supported and believed in me along the way.
During my year at Cranfield, Sarah Willingham (Bombay Bicycle Club, Lets Save Some Money, Dragon’s Den) came to present one evening and held a very open Q&A session afterwards. This was when I was starting to consider entrepreneurial careers and several things she said I took to heart. Messages such as “there is no one-size-fits-all entrepreneur, we are all different” and “there are 1000s of ideas out there, just try one out” gave me confidence. I was especially inspired by her description of how to “brand yourself”. It had never occurred to me that you could change the perception of who you are. Not change who you actually are, just how you are perceived. I found that intriguing and also promising, as it meant we do not have to be stuck in one place or role, we have control over our destiny.
How Pivigo has grown – from an initial idea in a lecture hall, to an agile and evolving business.
Pivigo has been very agile, and evolved along the way following shifts in the market, and the demands of our clients. Starting with recruitment, we quickly moved on to organising and running the Science to Data Science (S2DS) data science “bootcamps” – five week programmes where rock star academics deliver data science projects to commercial partners, and kick off their careers as data scientists. From there, an obvious expansion was to connect data science experts and academics to companies needing flexible access to talent via our marketplace. To be fair, the journey has been one of ups and downs, as all entrepreneurial journeys. Data science is still a nascent market, and sometimes I wonder if we were too early. But we are seeing growth in the market, and expect to consolidate our services and grow fast in 2020.
“You are all Cranfield alumni from now on, forever.” The power of the alumni network and the importance of Cranfield connections.
Obviously, I founded a business with one of the people I connected with at Cranfield – so I would say those connections are pretty important! But more than that, we used the alumni database for our initial market research and there are individuals from the network that I meet with regularly for advice – or who have become our clients.
For me, there was this critical moment at the very beginning of my year at Cranfield when an alumni rep came to us and said: “You are all Cranfield alumni from now on, forever.” This, in combination with seeing how successful many of the Cranfield alumni are, inspired great confidence in my own abilities and opportunities.
Returning to Cranfield in 2018 as a Cranfield School of Management Excellence in Alumni Award winner.
I and Pivigo have won quite a few awards over the last few years, but winning the Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Graduates in 2018 meant a great deal to me. Many other awards come down to who can write the best justification, but this one we won because there are those out there who thought we were truly worthy of recognition. That means so much for both me and Jason.
If I were to give one piece of advice to current students it would be to make the most of the personal development that the MBA offers to help you find a job that you are passionate about.
When it comes to making decisions about your own career, go with your instinct. Life is too short to be in a job you don’t enjoy. Find something that you are passionate about and go for it. On that note, of course it is very important that you know what you want. I found the personal development parts of the MBA curriculum very enlightening in this respect, so make the most of those sessions, and enjoy your time out from your career.
Take the time to understand data and digital – it will transform every business and industry, so get ahead of the curve.
I would encourage any business graduate to spend a little bit of time understanding data and digital – and the impact it will have on the industry you are in. Data will transform every business and industry, it is a question of when, not if. Being ahead of the curve, both as a company and an individual will mean great advantages over everyone else as the wheels start to spin faster. A good starting point is a book called ‘Data Science for Business’ which gives a great overview for beginners. I recommend reading this book specifically, and a rich variety of business books in general, to any Cranfield graduate.
Thank you to Dr Kim Nilsson for sharing her #CranfieldConnections story! If you would like to share your story, please contact the Alumni Communications team.