Ryan Krein

I am a highly accomplished and experienced operator in the luxury fashion sector with vast experience in global manufacturing and supply chains.

Through my experience working in international markets including in the United Kingdom, Europe, China, India and South Africa, I am effective in working with people from diverse backgrounds, and with different cultures and values.  

I love working closely with people and strive to create and foster meaningful and enduring relationships with my customers, colleagues and peers alike. This enables me to ensure that expectations are always exceeded, resulting in the most beneficial long-term outcomes for all parties. 

I have a diverse professional background which I am proud of.  

My legal education and background has endowed me with a superb attention to detail and I am equally adept at communicating ideas and concepts both verbally and in writing.  My extensive IT experience has provided me with advanced knowledge of hosted and cloud solutions including SaaS.

I thrive in an environment that promotes inclusivity and collaboration, and I am excited by the opportunity to continuously further my own learning journey, a process I am firmly committed to both in my professional and personal life.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to participate in the joint Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts, London) and Birkbeck (University of London) MBA program.

From the outset, the nature of the program and its content resonated deeply with me.  I believe that it is truly one of the only MBA programmes in the market that both offers and delivers a multi-disciplinary methodology.  The human skills covered in the programme (including emotional intelligence and leadership) are of great importance to me, and the program did not disappoint. 

We live in interesting and challenging times.  Intelligent systems and machines continue to redefine the world in which we live and work, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to redefine the way in which we work and play.  At the same time, the political influences currently and consistently at play mean that we live in uncertain times.  This requires ever changing and new skill sets.  

Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa I have made London my home since 2013.

 In a past life, I was a lawyer but recognised early on that this was not the life for me. After resisting entering the corporate world for as long as I could, but after a lot of around the world travel and several ventures and adventures, I ultimately spent several years working for an online travel and B2B procurement ASP business and also for the distributor for Apple in South Africa.

 Since moving to London, I have worked in the world of fashion and accessories. You might think this strange based on the fact that I chose to study law.  But I love it.

They say that in life, timing is everything, and I believe that this MBA came along at the perfect time for me.  Mind you, it was certainly an interesting and challenging time to undertake a postgraduate degree, as the COVID-19 pandemic altered the way that we had to work and collaborate.  However, I am mindful of what a unique experience this has been, and it has no doubt added a level of resilience.

I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with people from all over the world, people from different backgrounds and cultures, many of whom I am now pleased to call my friends.

I believe that my complete immersion in and completion of the MBA program has developed and strengthened my practical, strategic, creative, and critical thinking and reasoning skills, and I know that these will continue to serve me well as I continue on both my professional and personal paths.   

In addition to the academic learnings, I learned a lot about myself through the process of completing the MBA.  This includes my priorities, my capabilities, and above all, my value.

I am proud of what I have achieved over the course of the MBA program, and I am excited about the prospects that the future holds.