Chukwuka Dele-Oyeleru, Manchester AMBS MBA Class of 2027
Age: 27
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Quantity Surveying, University of Lagos
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Human Resources, Operations & Strategy, Entrepreneurship. (5 years)
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Over the last two years I’ve been building and scaling ventures like Rvysion and The Bredge, mostly in emerging markets serving startups around the world. That experience taught me how to ship, sell, and lead but also exposed clear gaps in my formal finance, strategy, and scaling.
I chose to attend business school now because my ventures have enough traction to know the size of the opportunity, but I’m still early enough in my career to significantly shift my trajectory. Alliance Manchester stood out as a place where I could deepen my quantitative and strategic skills, learn how capital is deployed in more mature markets, and pressure-test my thinking with a diverse and international cohort. The MBA is my way of upgrading from “scrappy founder” to a builder who can operate confidently at an institutional scale.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2027?
As someone who has made things work with limited resources from building internal products for our venture studio to structuring securing partners and offers for data professionals and employers at the Bredge, I bring an operator–founder lens to every conversation.
Based on my experience, I naturally translate between high-level strategy to execution reality. In class and group work, I push conversations from “great idea” to “what would this look like next quarter with a small team and a tight runway?” I also tend to create momentum by starting initiatives, connecting people, and turning discussions into pilots. For the Class of 2027, that means more action, more experimentation, and a strong emerging-markets perspective in the room.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I’m the friend who wakes up one day, picks a random hobby, and then goes all in. I started jogging on a whim and ended up running a marathon. Now I’ve fallen in love with hiking and I’m planning to climb Kilimanjaro next year.
Post-MBA career interests:
In the short term, I’m interested in roles in investment banking, corporate finance, or corporate development that allow me to work on growth-stage deals such as acquisitions, strategic investments, and capital raises beyond the early startup phase.
Longer term, I want to combine this deal-making experience with my operator background to help scaling companies in African and other emerging markets access the right capital and structures to grow sustainably
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I’d absolutely attend the MBA fairs in my city again and line up multiple candid calls with the AMBS team and alumni. Those conversations helped me move past glossy brochures and really test: does this program fit my career plans, my personality, and the kind of community I want to be part of? That clarity made every other part of the application much easier.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would apply earlier so I had more time for immigration, could start connecting with my cohort before arrival, and move to Manchester a few weeks in advance to settle in and get to know the city.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
If I could skip anything, it would be the waiting and overthinking after hitting submit. It’s very easy to spiral into second-guessing every line of your essays or comparing yourself to anonymous profiles online. What helped was deliberately shifting my focus back to my real life and reminding myself that the application was just one chapter, not my entire identity. Having a few trusted people who believed in my trajectory, regardless of the outcome, made a huge difference.
What is your initial impression of the Manchester AMBS students/culture/community?
The faculty and staff have been genuinely supportive and accessible from the start, which was a major reason I chose Manchester over other offers. That spirit of collaboration runs through the cohort as well. The students I’ve met are ambitious and career-focused, but low-ego. They are quick to share resources, make introductions, and back each other’s ideas. Being in Manchester is fun as well, a creative, industrious, slightly gritty city in the best way.
What student organizations have you joined/are you hoping to join and why?
I’ve joined the MBA Student Council as VP Careers. With a background in human resources and experience as a founder, I see this as a platform to showcase the value of the AMBS MBA to employers and help my cohort build real career momentum through networking, mentorship, treks, and clearer stories for recruiters. I’m also involved with the Finance and Consulting clubs to deepen my technical skills, learn from peers with different industry experience, and stay close to the roles I’m targeting in corporate finance and deal-making.
What is one thing you have learned about Manchester AMBS that has surprised you?
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how seriously AMBS lives its “learning by doing” and “original thinking applied” approach. So many modules involve group projects with real businesses, which mirror real-world constraints in a controlled environment. Structured feedback from team members via Buddycheck and from faculty means you’re not just doing projects, you’re actually getting better every cycle as a teammate, problem-solver, and as a leader.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m most excited about getting real results for the clients we’re working with on live projects. I’m also looking forward to building lasting structures, events, mentorship, and employer touchpoints that will keep creating opportunities for future cohorts long after we graduate.
