Episode 23 - How an MBA can impact on your business

This month Prof. David Spicer hosts a discussion with Dr Nick Snowden and Karl Baz around the impact that an MBA can have on your business. Both Nick and Karl bring fresh perspectives to the conversation as they explore the importance of continuing to educate yourself and adapting to understand the things you know you don't know.


The conversation also explores the use of AI in business for good as Karl talks about his start-up, Deep Blue Tech, which recently won Start-up of the Year at the AMBA and BGA Excellence Awards. Deep Blue Tech uses AI for water safety providing lifeguards in Dubai with a drown detection system. 


Nick is MBA Director at the School of Management. He started his working life as an entrepreneur before progressing to share his time between business interests and education, teaching at several universities and colleges, in a range of contexts, while studying part-time for both an MBA and PhD. Having worked with a wide range of organisations in the public, private ad voluntary sectors his work focuses on providing leadership and management development for senior leaders in a global context. 


Karl is currently in the second year of his MBA at the University of Bradford and recently won 2025 Start-Up of the year at the AMBA and BGA Excellence awards for his co-founded company Deep Blue Tech. The AI drown detection system represents a groundbreaking leap in water safety technology, providing real-time monitoring and rapid response capabilities in various aquatic environments. The system not only detects potential drownings but also pre-empts this by understanding risk ratings of situations, such as the ratio of adults and children to lifeguards in an environment, and detecting patterns.
As mentioned in the episode on Friday 6 June 2025 the School of Management will be hosting our annual MBA Summit. You can register now to secure your place as academic experts and industry leaders come together to explore themes of Resilience in professional and personal contexts.