Ambrose McCartney is not your average Sales Manager. At just 11am on the day he finished his Bachelor’s degree, he was already starting an internship at at Douglas' innovative online learning platform, the London Institute of Business and Technology (LIBT), and he hasn’t slowed down since.

From day one, he was looking at how LIBT could break away from relying on agents for student recruitment. Direct enrolments, he learned, were the highest-margin and most underutilised revenue stream. As an intern, he was asked to draft a document on how to build that pipeline, and the CEO liked what he saw. Ambrose was put in charge of the project, and at just 24 years-old is now leading the charge to bring LIBT's courses worldwide, landing him a spot in the Gef 30 Under 30 2025 Disruptors category, supported by Farmers Combine. Organised by the Manx Independent’s online sister brand Gef.im, the 30 Under 30 campaign highlights and celebrates 30 young people in the Isle of Man who are making a positive impact in their fields or communities

After moving through various departments, Ambrose found his niche in sales. ‘I focused on recruiting students from small communities,’ Ambrose explains. ‘Having 100 new students in one community can be more impactful than finding individual students in 100 different countries.’ He created tailored academic pathways for hyper-specific regions, and used past sales data to refine the process. The result? A 300% increase in revenue from direct recruitment.

Two years on, his progress has been huge. Ambrose now manages a small team and oversees an account projected to generate 40% of LIBT’s total revenue this year. The job has also taken him around the world, meeting decision makers, politicians and business leaders, though not everyone has immediately realised how senior he is.

‘The challenge I face most often is that people don’t take me seriously because I look incredibly young,’ Ambrose says. ‘I once met a high-profile politician in North America who immediately said “I was expecting someone older”. It took a while before the conversation started flowing.’

Ambrose wears his Disruptors title well. He’s not afraid to speak his mind and question the status quo, especially in education.

‘Traditional higher education models don’t make money nowadays. We’ve changed that at LIBT by disrupting the norms of the industry. This year, we’re planning to disrupt the local economy too, by creating a brand new industry on the Isle of Man. We want Tynwald to regulate degrees, which would let online providers like us sell Manx degrees internationally.’

It’s an ambitious move that could turn educational qualifications into one of the island’s biggest exports.

This year, Ambrose is set to complete his MBA, and long term, he wants to keep pushing himself to solving bigger problems on a larger scale, all while staying on the island.

‘We really have the best of both worlds here. If you’re ambitious, you can speak directly with decision makers and face less competition. If you want a slower pace, you’ve got that too.’

Despite his rapid career growth, Ambrose never expected to be on stage as a Gef 30 Under 30 winner. ‘I’m incredibly grateful for the award, and can’t thank the people who nominated me enough.’