We require two professional or academic references.
Using the online application form you will need to submit two references, preferably from professional referees. Once your referee details are input into the form, your referee will receive an automatic email from the School with details on how to complete the online reference form. Please note we can only accept references from a valid work/professional/institutional email address and not from Gmail/Hotmail accounts.
During my interactions with Andrew (Name Changed) for AMG Projects on the development of interior trims, I found him taking initiatives in supplier development and negotiations though it was not under his purview. Hence, I have rated him “exceeds expectation” in energy and drive.
He also never shied away from taking responsibility & always has a strong conviction towards achieving the goal by motivating all stakeholders. Working with him for two years, I always liked the way he carried his team forward and motivated them. Thus, I believe he is competent in leadership skills and has the ability to work in diverse teams. My ratings are based on all such experiences I have while working with Andrew (Name Changed).
I have known Andrew (Name Changed) for more than 2 years now since he started working for AMG Projects on design and development of car interiors. I have been working with Andrew (Name Changed) as his internal stakeholder.
I believe one of Andrew (Name Changed)’s principal strengths is effectively collaborating with cross-functional teams involving stakeholders across multiple geographies.
Impressed by his ‘go-getter’ attitude, he was provided the opportunity to work on BTV functions (Component Responsible) for floor trims last year. Since this project involved cross-functional teams from different geographies and time zones, communication as a whole was a challenge. Andrew (Name Changed) worked outside his office hours to manage project work between globally dispersed teams.
One specific instance, I can quote is while working with company Karl Etzel in Germany. To resolve the issues arising in mould flow, Andrew (Name Changed) worked outside of his office hours to align with the supplier as the project was already delayed due to technical challenges arising in any new development. He knew exactly how to phrase and put up his request to the various cross-functional teams and get the job done with ease. He was able to successfully navigate the project and manage stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds with relative ease.
I observed that he put in commendable efforts while collaborating and coordinating with suppliers, styling, packaging and assembly teams in Sindelfingen, Affalterbach and Bremen to get the alignment on day-to-day tasks. For his level of experience, Andrew (Name Changed) demonstrated excellent leadership skills and maturity when dealing with 20+ colleagues and 3 suppliers.
Another key strength of Andrew (Name Changed) is his excellent problem-solving skills. For example, at the time of final release of the Footplate – important passenger safety component, Andrew (Name Changed) had to rework and change the product strategy to accommodate newly electrical components. Andrew (Name Changed) was tasked to redesign and innovate assembly concepts within a week. Despite a flurry of activity, he remained calm and cool. He researched on TV remote battery cover fixation concept and applied it in the Footplate design. Such a fresh perspective to solving that specific problem was unique, especially because none of our teams had implemented this design before. Andrew (Name Changed)’s work contributed to on-time delivery of products with positive results in crash simulations.
In my 20 years of career, I have come across a limited number of young product design engineers who show such great dedication and creativity to solving a problem at hand, and it was this instance that made me notice Andrew (Name Changed)’s capabilities and commitment to the team. I am sure his excellent networking and problem-solving skills will serve him well in being successful in any walk of life.
Andrew (Name Changed) always seeks to add value beyond his mandate, which makes him the strong professional that he is today. However, I feel that in a few instances, he has been somewhat overconfident in his abilities to deliver products. At times he would take on too much work and would set unrealistic deadlines for the required tasks.
I distinctly remember an instance in which Andrew (Name Changed) proposed Ideal Automotive (Supplier) an overly ambitious timeline to provide floor design. This was music to our ears since we were facing significant pressure from the project to have the right parts for the first vehicle built.
While his analysis to meet the target in the given time frame looked promising, Andrew (Name Changed) later found out that the overall time to complete the task would go beyond the proposed schedule because of the new Body-in-White structure. As a result, he and his team stretched outside office hours and finished the job with a delay of one week. This was totally unacceptable by the senior leadership. I believe that Andrew (Name Changed) needs to temper expectations in order to not compromise on quality or accuracy.
I provided him with my feedback and was delighted to see that he took it constructively. Eventually, he started analysing the risks and tried to improve on this weakness. He took the time to fully understand the risks involved in meeting the deadlines. As a result, he is now able to streamline his work effectively. I have not seen any evidence of such an instance since.
Andrew (Name Changed) is an excellent engineer. He has excellent teamwork skills and international exposure. It is commonly said that great business ideas fail because they do not have strong financial backing. He has great ideas when it comes to engineering, but he needs to learn its business aspect to deliver outstanding products. Sometimes his ideas fail to meet the financial directions.
An Oxford MBA will strengthen his foundation in general management, strategic thinking and finance modelling. He will also get to familiarize with various research and analytical tools which will be helpful to him for entering in product management role which he aspires for. Further sharing experiences in a diverse class will strengthen his global outlook.