By Lan KB
WHO IS SHE?
Kimberly Tey Mei Zhern is one of 45 Chevening scholars chosen from Malaysia this year to pursue a one-year post-graduate programme under the prestigious Chevening scholarship programme.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the UK and partner organisations fund this programme. The scholarship is a global initiative by the UK government that offers future leaders the unique opportunity to pursue a one-year Master’s degree in any subject at a UK university.
The 28-year-old Kimberly is on a short break from her job as intellectual property lawyer at Zaid Ibrahim & Co to pursue MBA at the University of Durham.
While busy settling into life in the UK, she managed to give us this interview.
WHY MBA?
“I chose to pursue an MBA because the skills and learnings from the MBA will be highly relevant and transferable to my present work, enabling me to better identify issues faced by my clients from their perspective and come up with solutions tailored to their business needs.
“The demands of a lawyer today are very different. Today’s lawyer is not only expected to have a strong grasp of technical legal knowledge and skills but also to have the ability to understand their clients’ business and offer practical, business-oriented and cost-effective solutions”.
Having worked in the legal industry for about five years, Kimberly who put in her application last year for the 2018/2019 intake, expressed that she felt it was just the right time for her to apply for the scholarship as it was a good time to take a break and upskill herself.
NOT JUST STUDIES FOR KIMBERLY
Outside her apparent passion for scholarly pursuit and achieving professional milestones, Kimberly is also an avid yogi in the process of completing her 200-hour yoga teacher’s training course.
Additionally, Kimberly also volunteers for the Make A Wish Foundation in Malaysia, which is an organisation that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses.
In her words:
“The volunteer work allows me to organise events and create experiences for the children, which is something I found I have a knack for.”
As if yoga and volunteering aren’t enough, Kimberly is also a runner, having recently completed her first half marathon in August, just before leaving for the UK.
WHAT’S IN THE FUTURE FOR HER?
Simply put, she wants to expand her horizons.
“I genuinely believe that the largest possible growth for me can only be achieved by pushing myself outside the comfort of my legal training”.
