Adding an MBA to Pharmacy Education for Success in Health Care Marketing

A pharmacist by training, Kingsley Ezeagu ’24 MBA began a career in pharmaceutical sales and marketing in his native Nigeria, first as a medical sales liaison for GlaxoSmithKline GSK Pharmaceuticals and then working for the specialized nutrition arm of FrieslandCampina, a multinational dairy company with headquarters in the Netherlands. 

In both roles, he worked with medical professionals to offer solutions to their health care challenges, whether through medication or core nutrition. 

At FrieslandCampina, Ezeagu was promoted to area medical manager, managing the specialized nutrition business. While he had previously felt well prepared by his pharmaceutical background, he realized he could benefit from a foundation in business education. 

“I wanted to gain a more advanced understanding of how business works,” he says. “I decided an MBA would be most appropriate because it encompasses marketing, sales, finance, business, analytics and leadership strategy to expand my skills and competencies so that I could prepare myself for higher professional responsibilities.” 

As Ezeagu began researching MBA programs, he quickly set his sights on the United States, narrowing in on Syracuse University’s Whitman School. “One of the major reasons why I chose Whitman is the emphasis on experiential learning. I felt it would be a good opportunity for me to gain hands-on experience and practice of what I’m learning in class to bridge the gap between theory and what I do in the field.” 

And he’s doing just that. Having completed his first year of the two-year program, Ezeagu is a marketing research intern for a Boston-based electronic vehicle company. 

“I’m applying my marketing skills to provide solutions for their marketing challenges and trying to determine the feasibility of a new project they’re trying to run,” he says. “It’s been a tremendous experience that has helped me apply some of my skills that I’ve gained from my marketing and strategy classes.” 

Coming back to school full-time after years in the workforce could be a challenge for anyone, not to mention doing so in a foreign country where you are learning outside your comfort environment. “It was a tedious journey to start, but after my first semester I was able to adjust to the way education works here,” says Ezeagu, who has found community with his classmates and through Syracuse University’s African Student Union. 

Although he’s open to other opportunities that may arise, Ezeagu is planning to return to Nigeria after completing his degree in May, hoping