Upskilling was a business gamechanger for City IT specialist

Posted on 14 April 2025 • Business, Business and law

IT specialist Alberto Zuin was already in the job of his dreams and didn’t think it could get any better until he plugged what he felt was a skills gap in his knowledge to study for an MBA at The Open University’s Business School.

The Italian-born 48 year old from Bishop’s Stortford, who recently graduated, had worked in IT for decades as a software developer and in 2015 he joined Colossusbets, an online gambling company based in London.

As he took on more responsibilities in company management he realised there was a gap between technical execution and business strategy.

“I wanted to bridge that divide, to truly understand how business leaders think and how to translate those insights effectively to my team,” he said.

It was time to take action. The Chief Technology Officer, who also held the role as Chief Information Officer, approached his boss and with company support, he signed up for an MBA in Technology Management while continuing to work full-time.

He says it was transformational: “Now I can be the person in the middle who can translate what the stakeholders want from the business and make it happen. They have lots of ideas and I’m the person who can successfully analyse what it would take to achieve their aims.

“I write the blueprints to make it happen. If it wasn’t for my MBA, I wouldn’t have that ability.”

He’s just attended his OU graduation ceremony at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, his second OU graduation since he passed his BSc (Honours) in Computing and IT in 2023. He segued straight on to his MBA that same year.

His advice to others considering an MBA is this:

“Resilience is key. The MBA programme is intense and challenges you in many ways, requiring a mix of different skills.

“If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to take it one step at a time—follow the right order, focus on one module at a time, and truly absorb the learning. The journey is demanding, but the rewards are worth it.”

Paula Cara Farcas-Rafai, CEO of the company and Alberto’s boss, said: “Alberto’s dedication to continuous learning has significantly enhanced his impact at Colossusbets.

“His MBA has strengthened our leadership team and the strategic insights and frameworks he’s brought back have already enabled us to tackle more complex challenges and execute our most ambitious projects more effectively.”

According to The Open University’s most recent Business Barometer report, a UK-wide survey of more than 1,300 employers, 62% of organisations are currently facing skills shortages.

Main picture: CEO of Colossusbets Paula Cara Farcas-Rafai with Alberto Zuin

Inset: Alberto at his graduation

Picture credit: Colossusbets