Lancaster MBA Transporting Elizabeth Taylor's Dresses!

Nicholas Miles heads transport operations for auction house Christie’s, and says the Lancaster MBA helps him perform better at his job

Lancaster University Management School MBA graduate Nicholas Miles has been in charge of transport operations for fine art auction house Christie’s since 2010.

He completed his MBA in 2009 and tells us how studying at Lancaster prepared him for the challenges of working as Christie’s Transport Director.

British-born Nicholas earned an undergraduate degree in International Transport from Cardiff University in 1997. He joined Japanese transportation firm NYK logistics in London in 1998 and stayed for ten years, gaining experience in Europe and Asia before ending up as Deputy General Manager in Shanghai in 2006.

At Christie’s, Nicholas is responsible for ensuring the transport system is operating efficiently. He joined Christie’s in the UK and did such a remarkable job turning around the service that he was transferred to New York to upgrade the system there too. Nick mentioned that his job at Christie’s required a great deal of client exposure and had also given him the chance to implement the knowledge gained from his Lancaster MBA.

“I remember in the first semester of the MBA, understanding the motivation of the organization and connecting with its values were stressed”, he said.

He added, “Christie’s is a trust-based environment and a cultural understanding of the company has made me perform better here. You can say the Lancaster MBA gave me to tools to become a more mindful manager”.

Enrolling on the Lancaster MBA was a decision Miles and his wife took together. Nicholas and his wife Soojin were living in Shanghai when they decided to look into pursuing MBAs.

They wanted to study full-time at a UK institution because Asian and American schools would be out of their budget. They discovered Lancaster and were drawn to it because of its family-friendly environment. “Lancaster had high rankings and international recognition and they were very accommodating of families. They also had a pre-school there!”, said Nicholas.

Nicholas recalled that having a strong purpose to complete the MBA was thrilling and exciting. He says, “seeing yourself and others growing was an incredible experience for me”.

When we asked Nicholas what the most significant take-away from the Lancaster MBA was, he replied that it was Lancaster’s focus on general management.

It seems his Lancaster training is already paying off. He mentioned that he was recently in charge of the operations system handling the Elizabeth Taylor collection and that turned over around US$9.5 million!

MBA Degree

Student Reviews

Lancaster University Management School

Jesse

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28/09/2018

An exceptional educational establishment in the North West of England.

This university has been a fantastic life experience as well as a great academic one. I first decided to go to Lancaster University Management School due to its exceptional business education facilities and have not been disappointed. I recommend the university to anybody that wants to put themselves in a strong position for a career upon graduation.

Student

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24/11/2022

On Campus

Student Ambassador

Overall, the instruction is decent, however it also depends on your department. The people are friendly, in my opinion. The sporting events are enjoyable, and there is a good sense of community. Although the city is quite remote, it is nonetheless attractive.

Student

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3/08/2020

Lancaster University honest review

The education system in the university is excellent especially that of the Management School. The campus has great facilities for students to study and live in a relaxed manner. The students can engage in various activities through the socities.

Student

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17/06/2020

Great opportunities to think beyond

Lancaster University provides a lot of good opportunities to think beyond.There Entrepreneurship in residence program helps students to meet and seek guidance about entrepreneurship and the challenges.Their Work in progress program help to fabricate your startup idea and further to pitch to the potential investors.Apart from that there are lot of programs like Enactus, guest lectures and guidance from seniors to help and shape your career needs. They provide lot of opportunities to shape up your employability skills.

Student

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9/10/2020

On Campus

A top university in the UK for management science!

If you’re interested in management science studies, Lancaster University is one of the top universities in the UK. The faculty is renowned and have a sterling reputation for research in management science. Candidates specifically interested in Forecasting would find the Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting especially relevant to their field. Besides, the ROI is good as the overall cost compared to other universities is less.

Student

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10/04/2019

Great university for academia – not great for 'entrepreneurs'

Please keep in mind that my review is nuanced by my expectations of an Entrepreneurship degree :) I came to Lancaster University because it was one of the top universities to have a course in Entrepreneurship. After 4 years in this degree, my most valuable experience has been my placement and not the actual course. The course is heavily focused on impractical elements, which is a bit odd for an Entrepreneurship degree. There are some modules that involve hands-on work but the faculty support for such things has not been great. My course also involved a lot of teamwork which has been fantastic and really prepared me when it comes to dealing with the diversity of opinions. In terms of career prospects, the management school does A LOT to host events, workshops and support sessions to help you build up your employability skills. Although, I wish there was more acknowledgement of SMEs/startups as a viable career option. The entrepreneurship team which is meant to support budding businesses is really stepping up their game with tons of guest speakers, workshops and pitching opportunities. The location is a concern if you're not in STEM, Law or Accounting and Finance. Business requires networking with the broader community. However, for Lancaster students, the best bet is a trip down to Manchester or London. On the flip side, living in Lancaster is much cheaper! Overall, if the purpose of your university experience is to receive top academic education and have great facilities at your disposal, Lancaster is a great choice. But if you want to be in business and entrepreneurship, I would look elsewhere.