The Structured Path to the Top: How Darya Is Using EMIM to Get There 

Darya doesn’t have a straightforward career story. 

She started in healthcare operations then entered real estate and hospitality, first in sales and then in regional commercial roles that took her across markets. 

After years of learning by doing, she decided it was time to learn by studying, which is how she ended up in the Executive MSc in Management (EMIM) programme at NUS Business School. 

We caught up with her to find out how has been going. 

“I Was Learning Management by Doing” 

The decision to go back to school wasn’t born out of dissatisfaction. Darya was doing well. But she was also honest with herself about a knowledge gap. “I had been learning management by doing, and I wanted a more structured framework to support the next stage of my career,” she says. 

How EMIM Is Connecting the Dots 

Darya’s career has spanned enough industries that it would be easy to see each chapter as separate. But the work has always been fundamentally the same: building processes, improving how teams operate, supporting growth across markets. What EMIM is giving her is a way to look at all of it together. “EMIM helps me connect those experiences and look at them in a more systematic way,” she says. 

The cohort is part of that too. Being in a room with people from vastly different professional backgrounds means that no single way of looking at a problem goes unchallenged. “It really can affect how you think about the same business problem,” she notes. 

Why The EMIM Programme, and Not Another 

The reason was straightforward: EMIM’s curriculum was designed for people who still have a full-time job. 

“The modular format, the regional focus, and the mix of industries in the cohort made it very relevant to the challenges I deal with at work,” she explains. 

That last part matters more than it might sound. Sitting next to someone from banking when you come from hospitality, or debating a case study with someone who runs a manufacturing operation, — that friction is where a lot of the real learning happens. 

Juggling a Regional Role and a Master’s Degree 

It’s a lot and Darya doesn’t pretend otherwise. “The workload is intense, especially alongside a full-time regional role,” she says. “It requires planning and consistency.” 

What keeps it from feeling overwhelming is that every concept she picks up in class can be applied to her day-to-day work. “I try to link what we study to real situations at work,” she says. “EMIM allows for the immediate application of what we learn in the classroom to the real world. That makes it much more meaningful and easier to internalise.” 

How EMIM Fits into Her Bigger Ambitions 

Darya has a clear sense of where she wants to go: global leadership, C-suite, and building the kind of commercial and operational structures that let organisations grow properly.  

She’s clear-eyed about what EMIM is giving her to get there. “EMIM is helping me develop a stronger strategic perspective and a more formal management toolkit. And of course, it also links me into the NUS alumni and career network for the long term,” she says. For someone who’s spent her career making organisations run, that’s the next level. 

What She Hopes to Take Away From EMIM 

If Darya had to name one thing she wants to walk away with, it’s more fundamental than a title or a toolkit. “The ability to step back from day-to-day execution and start designing systems and organisations that are built for long-term growth.” 

Ready to Take the Next Step? 

Whether you’re looking to move up, broaden your perspective, or simply get more intentional about where your career is heading, EMIM is designed to help you get there. 

Learn more about the Executive MSc in Management at NUS Business School here.