How beneficial is an MBA with your clientbase?

It’s a question we hear often from professionals at a crossroads who are driven, reflective, and ready to invest in their next move.

The emotional draw is clear. An MBA represents achievement, ambition, a reset, a way to shift sectors, accelerate leadership opportunities, or add structure to lived experience. For many, it’s a rite of passage into senior management or private equity roles.

But here’s the logical reality especially in Real Estate. With our client base of developers, investment platforms, and consultancies across the UK, US GCC, and EMEA, an MBA is not typically a prerequisite. In fact, it rarely makes or breaks a hiring decision.

We find in reality this is what is more beneficial: 

▪️ Real-world delivery: Track record in deal origination, project execution, team leadership, or capital raising.

▪️ Commercial fluency: Understanding of investor priorities, market timing, and development risk.

▪️ Cultural fit and leadership style: Especially critical in cross-border or emerging markets.

▪️ Network and credibility: Often built over years in the field, not just in the classroom.

An MBA can be valuable when:

▪️ You’re aiming for a role at a global institutional fund or consultancy where MBAs are more common.

▪️ You’re missing a broader business foundation and want to formalise strategic thinking.

An MBA should be a tool, not a ticket. If you pursue it for the right reasons, curiosity, clarity, capability-building then it can open doors. But if you’re banking on it to validate your next role, it may not have the return you expect.