Hailing from Brighton and now a seasoned Londoner, Joe Pollard embarked on a naval career in 2014 after completing a finance degree and a year in international banking. Joe's diverse military experiences spanned Britannia Royal Naval College, worldwide operational deployments, and pivotal contributions to projects like the organisational redesign of the Royal Navy Headquarters in Portsmouth in 2019.
Joe is currently a member of Amazon's Corporate Military Program (ACMP), where he is working on a range of complex problems alongside diverse and talented peers.
His business journey took another exciting turn when he became the 2023 recipient of the Warwick Business School Bursary Award. This bursary, offered as part of the wider Heropreneurs Awards, provides the winner with a fully-paid MBA or Executive Diploma and offers generous discounts to runners up. In September 2024, Joe will join the cohort embarking on WBS’ Executive MBA. He now has a valuable opportunity to shape his career trajectory and he hopes to empower others in their own educational pursuits.
The Heropreneurs Awards ceremony left a lasting impression on Joe. He reflected on the night, saying,
“I’m honoured to win the award – the calibre of candidates in the shortlist is truly exceptional and I feel privileged to be in this position. I’d like to highlight the transformative opportunities that Heropreneurs provide and dedicate time to collaborating with them to raise awareness of their initiatives.”
Thinking back to the journey that led him here, Joe spoke fondly of the leaders who have shaped his military journey, acknowledging their invaluable contribution to his growth.
Joe now envisions becoming a beacon of Warwick Business School's core values—curiosity, openness, restlessness, and excellence —foreseeing his successes as a testament to the world-class education and mentorship he will receive.
For Joe, the bursary is not just an investment in his future but a commitment to entrepreneurial success and uplifting society as a whole.