Monday 4th March 2024 | 6-8pm

I completed a BA in Music Industry Management and Marketing but after a couple of years struggling to find a paid role in the music industry, I decided to make the leap into advertising, landing a business development role for an ad agency. It was there that I truly discovered my passion and where my career really started (quite late at the age of 27). After gaining a few years of experience, I co-founded True in 2012 which has gone from strength to strength and was named ANA Global B2B Creative Agency of the Year.  I work with large corporations to develop brand and communication strategies, creative ideas and production of advertising campaigns to help them grow their businesses. We specialise in ‘business-to-business’ which means the companies we work with sell their products/services to other companies (as opposed to consumers). Our clients include the likes of EY, Volvo Construction Equipment, Auto Trader and Kaspersky. My role includes running brand strategy workshops for clients, strategic consulting, working closely with our creative teams to ensure development of advertising ideas align to strategy and econometric analysis of campaign performance. 

I am a freelance Graphic Designer and Illustrator, mostly working on books, both for other people and my own. I worked with Leon restaurants for several years and designed many cookbooks for them. Now, as well as having designed over 65 books, including two of my own, I’m illustrating children’s books with my brother, Stephen Mangan, who writes them! At the age of 34, I obtained a first-class honours degree at Camberwell College of Arts in Graphic Design and Illustration, having done a variety of things beforehand. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school, but after a 2-year college course in Business Studies, 2 years living and working in Spain, over 8 years at Comic Relief, several art-based evening classes, an Art Foundation and a degree, I have found my true vocation in life.

I studied Natural Sciences, majoring in Pharmacology, at Cambridge University. After this I worked in the manufacturing industry for 2 years before moving into finance. I worked at Rothschild Wealth Management for a few years before moving to Blackstone over 7 years ago. I am in Blackstone’s multi-asset investing team (BAAM), on the fundraising and client service team, specifically focusing on the Middle Eastern client base.

My careers reflection: Whilst at school, I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future. The best advice I got was to study what you enjoy not what you think is needed for a career as most careers accept most degrees. I was best at maths but enjoyed science more and ended up studying it. The people I met and the different style of thinking as a scientist, ended up opening doors for me that have shaped my career today.

I studied Mechanical Engineering in India, specialising in Marine Engineering and then worked in the shipping industry for a few years before moving to the commercial side and came to London 15 years ago to study Finance, eventually moving to banking with Citi after my Masters.

I studied Languages at University and then went on to do a MA in International Relations. After internships in banking and a music start-up, I worked in management consulting for five years. I then worked on cancer and genetics programmes for Cancer Research UK, the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry, and in venture capital before founding two genomics companies, where I work as the commercial and organisational lead alongside scientists and doctors. I also advise governments, hospitals and companies on how to use health data to develop new medicines.

The biggest challenge to sustainability in healthcare isn’t currently our impact the environment, it’s the fact that we are creating more and more expensive medicines that are harder and harder to afford. Lots of my work is working out how to make medicines discovery and development more efficient, so the whole world can benefit from affordable healthcare.

I studied Media and Communications at the University of California at Berkeley in the US and then went on to work in print journalism in Cairo, Egypt where I grew up. I later joined the business news TV network CNBC in Dubai and then gained my masters in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia University in New York after which I moved to London to work for CNBC’s London bureau, first as a producer and later as a correspondent. I’m now a senior correspondent for Al Arabiya TV (a leading Arabic News channel) where I cover news from across the UK, Europe and the US for our Arabic-speaking audience around the world. I have been passionate about current affairs and news from a very young age so always had that sense of curiosity about the world which led me to journalism. My favourite two subjects were Theatre Studies and English because I loved performing, reading and writing, all of which I do in my job today. Also, at the age of fourteen, my History teacher pointed out my ability to synthesize complex information and break lengthy texts down into bite-size pieces of information which is what I now do on a daily basis!

After enjoying working in a lab during university work experience, I started working as Research Scientist developing new products I saw produced and delivered to customers.  I then started to manage projects and then teams and built up my commercial and business skills to eventually become a business leader.  I was also volunteering for local charities this motivated me to change career and I have now worked for the Big Issue, Save the Children and I am now Chief Executive at a leading health charity. I am also a trustee for an environmental charity.  

My “Green” reflection: Climate change is and will have huge impacts on people’s health.  We are working on our net zero plan and have for some time had a focus on environmental issues in how we work, our office use, and in how our reserves are invested.  In my trustee role for the Bat Conservation Trust there is an obvious focus on bio diversity and the environment.  It feels rewarding to have such a direct link to impact for change.

I lead strategy & investment for a revolutionary climate technology company on a mission to decarbonise trucks. Over past 2.5 yrs I’ve supported the founder to scale-up to 300+ people, consolidate operations at new state-of-the-art UK manufacturing facility, homologate & launch of first-of-its-kind electric truck, raise $150m of new capital & prepare for a NASDAQ IPO. Previously spent 6 yrs as consultant & auditor at Deloitte, qualified as Chartered Accountant, & studied Accounting & Management BSc at University of Bristol.

My Green reflection: For me, GREEN is the now & the future, and the biggest economic opportunity in our lifetimes. The science is clear… we need to both decarbonise existing industries & remove existing carbon from the atmosphere. So even if we do everything else right on reducing emissions, the world still needs to remove up to 220 Gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere by 2050 if we are to achieve NET-ZERO. The responsibility to be green falls on us all & will increasingly impact the world of work. In 2023, ~30% of UK job postings were for green jobs yet only one in eight worldwide have green skills. This highlights the opportunity for young people to become the next wave of talent. So how do you find the right green job? It helped me to think about the problems I wanted to help solve first. I never envisaged working for a truck company, but my interest in decarbonisation, battery tech & green hydrogen led me to green transportation. The beauty of the green economy is that there’s something for everyone. 

Please note, Harry will be joining us at the fair until 7pm, so please ensure you come to him early to ask all your questions!

I’ve been a Management Consultant for 16 years, graduating from Kings College, University of London with a BA Honours English Language & Literature degree.  I started my career as an Analyst for Accenture working in the Strategic Change / Human Performance & Talent Management Practice. I worked primarily in the Financial Services sector with clients such as Bank of America, UBS, Lloyds and RSA. Work involved global IT Transformation programmes, Outsourcing projects, Organisation Design, Culture Change and Leadership Development programmes and HR Strategy & Transformation. After leaving Accenture, I joined Barclays Bank as an internal HR Strategy Consultant leading Barclaycard’s HR Transformation programme and then leading Barclays’ Global Leadership and Learning programme, which was rolled out to over 100,000 employees.

I studied Cyber Security at University which included undertaking an industrial placement year working at Airbus. Upon leaving University I joined a graduate scheme working in consultancy where I was encouraged to explore the different areas of Cyber. 2 years ago I began working in Digital Forensics and Incident Response where I am responsible for investigating cyber security incidents for clients. Investigations can include insider threats, website compromises, email compromises and ransomware incidents. I also have the opportunity to travel as part of my job going wherever a data collection might take me.

After studying Dentistry in Bristol I went straight into general practice on graduating.  I worked as a self employed associate dentist mainly in the NHS but with some private practice for 6 years. I then opened my dental practice in Mill Hill building up the practice to 4 surgeries & a team of 18. We had developed into a preventive private practice with 5 specialist dentists ,2 partners & 2 hygienists caring for a wide variety of patients.  We train staff encouraging them to continue studying & improving.  I also mentor students and help them with university applications and employability.  I recently retired from clinical practice.  

My careers reflection: I always wanted to be a dentist which helped me enjoy a long & successful career. Continually improving my knowledge and skills by joining study groups,meeting & talking to outstanding dentists enhanced my knowledge and skills.

I studied Economics and Politics at Loughborough and in Paris; then returned to work in Paris in various international roles, mostly in marketing and e-business, for around 10 years. While there and working for Renault-Nissan, I completed an MBA. I then worked in automotive retail back in the UK before becoming Director at Volkswagen UK. For the last 7 years, after an increasing focus on the general digitisation of business, I’ve been Commercial Director at Auto Trader, the UK’s largest digital automotive marketplace and one of the UK’s largest tech companies on the FTSE 100.

At Auto Trader, we define our purpose as “Driving change together. Responsibly”. As part of our focus on responsibility, and conscious of our huge influence on both the wider automotive industry as well as on general car buyers, we focus on a much broader range of sustainability initiatives than most of our peers. These start with our own more obvious net zero commitments within our company but we aim to go much further, by providing clearer information to consumers on how to make more environmental choices, ideally encouraging a switch to fully electric cars and vans as well as e-bikes. I’m very proud to be the sustainability champion on our executive leadership team and massively enjoy working with passionate colleagues and partners to make a difference in any and every way possible. I’m committed to doing all we can to make sure that our future mobility solutions are truly sustainable. Both the auto and tech sectors have often rightly been accused of being part of the problem in the past. Looking forward though, I enjoy being in a team that wants to be part of the solution!

I studied Film and Literature at Warwick University. After graduation, I worked as a runner on feature films and as a cameraman/editor for local TV and corporate videos. I specialised in TV promotions and branding and worked my way to Head of Creative, launching TV channels in Dubai, Pakistan and South Africa. After ten years in TV, I decided to move into film visual effects. I completed an MA at the National Film and Television School. I worked my way up in VFX and am now a Visual Effects Supervisor and head of the 2D department at Union Visual Effects in Soho, working on high end TV and film projects from Harry Potter to The Crown. Union recently won the special visual effects BAFTA, one of the biggest awards you can win in visual effects, for our work on the movie Poor Things. At school, I was interested in and good at both maths/physics and art/literature. I took A levels in Art, Physics, English Literature and Geography and was very unsure about which career path to take and (hopefully unlike you) did not receive much useful advice. By gaining industry experience in film and television, I found my way to visual effects. The VFX industry, and the closely related Gaming and Virtual Reality industries are great for people who have both creative flair and technical aptitude. There are currently lots of opportunities and challenges in the industry with the adoption of AI technology.

I did a BA Communications degree at university majoring in Film, Television and Radio but alongside that doing Journalism and Literature. I started working in drama but moved onto documentaries, because I was more interested in real life than fiction, working in many roles before becoming a director and producer of many documentaries on many different subjects from politics to arts and historical stories. I became an Executive Producer, overseeing other people’s films and a commissioning editor working in the music and arts department at the ABC and then at the BBC on their flagship international documentary strand Storyville – where I commissioned 30 international documentaries from around the world every year and acquired all the BBC’s documentaries. I now work as the Founder and Creative Director of a documentary production company.

My careers reflection: I always wanted to be a journalist uncovering stories and read avidly as a kid. The writing of journalist Ryzard Kapuchinski inspired me and as I got older became interested in films – especially art house films. The subjects I loved and excelled at at school were Modern History, Art and English – I was interested in art and visual expression but also was interested in language and written expression – all these have always been an essential part of my work.

I am a Production Designer in the film industry. I have worked on five 007 movies, Star Wars, Batman, Captain America and Charlie and the Chocolate factory among others. My job consists of designing and project managing the construction of large movie sets, vehicles and props both at the studios and away on location. After A-levels I went to Brighton Art School to study graphic design, before getting a job as an art department assistant at Pinewood Studios.  I am also the founder of a startup company which has invented a groundbreaking sustainable construction methodology for temporary buildings – particularly film sets.

My careers reflection: As well as a lifelong love of all types of stories, music, art and film, I was a huge fan of Lego when I was a kid and it gave me an instinctive understanding of three dimensional space which has led to my current career. When I was 14 years old I was lucky enough to visit the set of the movie ‘Hook’ and I was hooked on the film industry from that moment on!

I completed A levels at Highgate School in Maths, Latin and Spanish. This took me to the University of Nottingham where I completed a degree in Spanish and Chinese. After graduating from university, I spent a gap year working firstly at a start-up in London and after that an internship in China, before returning to London to complete the three-year graduate programme at KPMG in the corporate finance team. I left KPMG in May 2018 to join Literacy Capital, an investment company focussed on completing private equity investments into UK-based companies.

After finishing my Mathematics degree I worked on major IT implementation programmes.  After a number of years I ended up in Sydney, working in the IT group for a major Australian investment bank (Macquarie).  I decided to switch careers, completed an MBA in Switzerland, and then rejoined Macquarie in its Infrastructure Finance group.  Since then I’ve had several roles in financial and other institutions, focusing on this area.  I’m now a Partner at a medium sized Infrastructure Finance Manager – Arjun.     

My careers reflection: I was always sceptical about “networking”.  However, as I look back, I realise that four of the five jobs I’ve had in the past 22 years have come from my network – they were not advertised positions.  People are always willing to help, offer advice and guidance, and occasionally find roles for you, if you approach it in the right way. 

I studied English Literature and History and then went on to do a Masters Degree in Medieval Studies. Later, I volunteered then worked in museums in the UK and Mozambique, developing heritage collections and leading community heritage projects in museums. Some years into my career, I returned to university to complete a Masters in Museums and Heritage Studies. I specialised in storytelling, and how to support marginalised communities to share their lived experience and heritage in museum settings. Now, I work for English Heritage, managing volunteers at Kenwood which includes many storytellers. My responsibilities are to grow the volunteer programme, developing new volunteer roles, inviting local people to participate, and supporting them throughout their volunteering experience. 

My “Green” reflection: A lot of my work with volunteers involves communication, because we want volunteers to understand our organisational priorities and support our work. Sustainability is central to this, because we want English Heritage to be a truly environmentally sustainable organisation. In addition to the work I do within volunteer management, I voluntarily co-lead an sustainability employee network for English Heritage, the “Green Team”, and run my own sustainability project – cycling to English Heritage sites via the National Cycle Network, to learn about the routes from urban centres and consider ways that we can encourage walking/cycling to heritage sites, rather than driving. 

I qualified as a restructuring and insolvency lawyer at Allen & Overy. After a couple of years of practising law I realised I enjoyed a environment where the impact of your decisions were more immediately felt. I retrained and obtained a CFA charter and joined the Barclays Credit Trading business shortly after Barclays had acquired Lehman Brothers post-bankruptcy. I currently am a managing director and responsible for the team that analyst, invest and trade in EMEA leveraged credit, including high yield, leveraged loans and special situations.

My “Green” reflection: ‘Green’ is a catch-all term which covers the biggest drivers of investment, financial markets and global economies today and in the future. Climate change, the transition to net zero, sustainable agriculture, rising sea levels and temperatures, resource scarcity and pollution are the main issues which will concern us as a race and are only going to become more important. Understanding these themes and being passionately involved in bringing about positive changes in them are going to be absolutely critical to be successful in almost any profession – I see the impact every single day in the markets and it is growing exponentially every year. 

I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University and went on to do a Diploma in Law at City University. I trained as a solicitor at a large city law firm. After qualifying I went on secondment as a judicial assistant in the Court of Appeal, and decided I wanted to become a barrister. I returned to Oxford to do a Law Masters (BCL) and then did my training (“pupillage”) at Fountain Court Chambers. I have been working as a commercial barrister for the last 20 years. I act in a huge variety of cases involving e.g. air crashes, multi-million pound claims for/against governments, disputes over works of art, criminal activity of companies, financial instruments. I became a Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel!) in 2020. 

My “Green” reflection: Commercial litigation is typically very document heavy. Similar to writing an essay in, say history, you have to get on top of a lot of material in order to be able to provide advice to your client, and to prepare the case for court. While lawyers have previously been used to having material printed and working in hard copy, there is a big move (including from the judges) to reduce paper printing and work where possible with electronic documents instead. Travel has also reduced as meetings with clients can now take place remotely, as do some court hearings. All of this is helping to reduce the carbon footprint of those of us working in the law. 

After graduating from Durham University with an Engineering degree I entered the patent profession as a trainee technical assistant.  The ‘on the job’ training enabled me to pass my professional exams, qualify as a patent attorney and work my way up through the firm to become a Partner of the firm and Head of the Engineering & IT Group.   

At University I was sponsored by an Engineering company and in between school and university I worked for the company and also worked for them in the university summer holidays.  This experience told me that I didn’t want to be a ‘hands on’ engineer!  I needed to find a job that used my engineering background but wasn’t engineering.  On graduating I started training as a patent attorney, which is a mix of law and science.  One of the best things about the job is the variety of the inventions that clients want to protect with a patent.  Variety is the spice of life.

I studied Law at Magdalene College, Cambridge, before completing the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law.  Following pupillage, (in 2000) I became a tenant at South Square, a set of Chambers specialising in financial law, with a strong emphasis on restructuring and insolvency law.  I took silk in 2016.  Most of my work is based in London but I have also been called to the Bars of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.  I am currently the President of the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association.  

My “Green” reflection: South Square is an active member of the Bar Council’s Sustainability Network and have implemented a number of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact including: moving to a renewable energy provider and having a comprehensive recycling policy in place that covers paper (including shredding), cardboard, glass, plastics, batteries, toner cartridges and white goods and computer hardware (to WEE standards).

I studied Ancient History at UCL and then went onto complete my GDL and LPC at what is now called the University of Law. I joined Streathers as a Trainee Solicitor to grow the Dispute Resolution team. My role involves acting for employees, employers, freeholders and leaseholders in seeking to resolve disputes. I also have wider management responsibilities such as in relation to HR and compliance.

My “Green” reflection: We are making conscious and sustained efforts to go paperless (or at least paper-lite). We no longer keep paper files but store everything electronically, which not only cuts down on paper and lugging huge files around, but also enables teams to work more seamlessly from different offices or home. We encourage clients to sign documents electronically, saving on printing and postage. We also have way more meetings over video calls rather than in-person, which cuts down on carbon footprint, especially when you would have previously had a number of people travelling in from various different locations. Face-to- face meetings are still really important, especially at the outset of a client relationship, but we are now much more selective about the meetings we hold in person. 

I studied Crime Scene at Teeside University as part of my professional journey which was funded by the Metropolitan Police in London. After working at the London Police for nearly 10 years as a Crime Scene Forensic Practitioner and as Digital Forensic Technician I decided to move to private sector. I’m now at Control Risks working for Legal Technology department called Discovery+Data Insights as an electronic discovery Senior Consultant. I directly support our clients with building streamlined workflows for their document review utilising AI and other techniques to help them with document review in a timely and proportionate manner.

My “Green” reflection: Green means to me not using excessive number of emails between colleagues and clients. Not every email warrants a reply, therefore I am trying to limit the amount of emails I sent. Working in technology practice which relies on data volumes, it’s apparent that the sizes are growing in expedite fashion. We do not need to clatter the systems.

I first studied English and Italian language and Literature and then went on to complete a Master in European Studies (EU law and policies). My first job was working for the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, where I ran information campaigns aimed at informing the citizens about the European Union, culminating in the accession referendum. My next job was in Australia, where I started working in B2B marketing followed by a short stint in consulting when I moved to the UK. I currently run the marketing function of the research arm of a FTSE100 company which involves organising campaigns, events and PR for the brand. 

My “Green” reflection: While the “product” I promote in my job is green by its nature (research is delivered electronically), how we gather the insights and how we promote them is not always sustainable. We put great care in always questioning whether travel is absolutely necessary, we offset all miles flown by our analysts and staff, and we take great care in finding sustainable ways of promoting our products, favouring digital over physical promotion. 

I am a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Physician at The Whittington Hospital where I am the clinical lead for the department. I qualified from Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Medical School in 2006 with an MBBS degree and a degree in physiology (BSc). I completed my post graduate training in North East London and am on the GMC Specialist Register, accredited in both Gastroenterology and General (Internal) Medicine.  My commitments are broad and varied including providing care for inpatients and outpatients in the hospital, performing endoscopy procedures and training medical students and junior doctors.  

My “Green”reflection: Throughout all hospitals people are looking at ways to be more green. How we dispose of things is a big area where focus is being placed to contribute to a more green society. Being a doctor is not just a job but is a way of living. It reminds me every day to be kind and compassionate. The journey can be challenging but that makes it even more worthwhile.

I studied Medicine at university and did most of my subsequent medical training in London. I decided to specialise in haematology but took a brief break to study tropical medicine and undertook a field placement with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Republic of Congo. On my return, I started specialist training in haematology. Towards the end of my training, I took a break to do a PhD at UCL in gene engineering of T cells for cancer therapy. I finished this and went back to complete haematology training. I undertook a post-doctoral position again at UCL, this time in engineering T cells with synthetic receptors for cancer therapy. Here I developed a new therapy for leukaemia which has since been commercialised and will hopefully lead to a licensed product within the next 2-3 years. I now have my own research group at UCL, represent clinical translational research and am a consultant haematologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital where I treat children with blood cancers.

My careers reflection: My grandmother was diagnosed with a blood cancer when I was a medical student. This has driven my interest in haematology and finding new, more effective therapies for cancer.

I studied Biology at university, followed by a PhD in evolution and genetics. I then worked as an epidemiologist and researcher in Germany and the UK, learning a lot of skills on the job. At Imperial College London I lead a research group focused on the epidemiology of infectious diseases and the vaccines that prevent them. We conduct epidemiological studies, modelling and clinical trials to improve vaccines against disease including polio, rotavirus and recently COVID-19.  

My careers reflection: When I was younger I first wanted to be a  fireman, then a biologist reading The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins and the beauty of desert plants got me hooked on biology!

My performing career began with a music scholarship at Highgate after which I studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. I auditioned for a part in Les Misérables and have been working as an actor in productions in the West End and across the world since, appearing in shows such as School of Rock, Titanic, Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd and Ghost. I’ve also sung as a soloist in many major concert venues including the Royal Albert Hall and The Royal Opera House. Most recently I appeared in the West End production of Pretty Woman, in the role of Phillip Stuckey as well as being the alternate to the principal role of Edward Lewis. 

My advice is; be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as you can from those more experienced than you. Watch all types of theatre and work on your craft every day, you never stop learning!

I started my musical studies as a choral scholar at Oxford, where I also studied Mathematics after my A Levels at Highgate. Since then I’ve been involved in multiple musical productions as a Musical Director, Conductor, Accompanist and Composer.

Musical Director credits have included: The Big Life Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue (Olivier award nomination for Best New Musical), Cinderella Theatre Royal Stratford East (Olivier award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre) and many more! I’m also a freelance piano/keyboard player playing for The Drifters and was a regular at Wicked in the West End.

I am also the musical director and pianist for a series of cabaret shows at PizzaExpress Live with the casts of West End shows including Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and Les Misérables. My next cabaret is on Sunday 18th Feb and then March 24th. If anyone is interested, please do come along with your families! Doors open at 12:00pm and the show starts at 1:00pm! https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/sunday-afternoon-at-the-musicals-7

Please note Ian will be at the fair from 6.30-8.00pm due to existing work commitments.

As a Senior Civil Servant, working for the UK Health Security Agency I support the government response to emerging health security outbreaks within the UK. These have included in the last year Covid-19, Mpox and Polio. This includes providing tests and vaccines for schools, GPs, care homes and many other partners, and ensuring we reinforce these with effective outreach and engagement campaigns to a wide range of communities and stakeholders.  

My career journey to this point can best be described as ‘eclectic’! I studied Politics before moving into Law and becoming a qualified solicitor. I then studied a Masters in human rights and worked at the United Nations in New York and Vienna, focusing on counter-terrorism. I then joined the civil service graduate Fast Stream programme, working in a variety of civil service roles, from climate change to supporting our response to national emergencies, within the Cabinet Office. I have also worked in the private sector as a consultant, as Head of Government Services Consulting for Lendlease (a multinational property company).  

My one piece of career advice may be obvious but still remains true – do something that you love to do. Its as simple as that. If you don’t enjoy what you do you won’t be motivated and ultimately won’t be good at it!

I went to University to study Biology but then switched to Physics. After a PhD in low temperature physics in Canada, I did postdoctoral research in the UK and Switzerland, also managing to live in France and Germany. After my time in academia, I became an editor at Nature. I am now Chief Editor of Nature Astronomy, which is a lot of fun.

My “Green” reflection: I have always loved nature, and I was thrilled to become a Trustee of London Zoo last year. I am now learning about governance and contributing to science-led conservation work around the world.

I am currently the Chief Medical Officer of a newly-emerging Neuroscience biotech company, called Exciva, focussing on developing innovative drug therapies for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and with concurrent neuropsychiatric symptoms like agitation, aggression, anxiety and depression. Until recently, I was the Therapeutic Area Head of Neuroscience, Respiratory and Immunology in Global Clinical Development, at an international pharmaceutical company called Merck (MSD), where I oversaw all the clinical research and advanced Phase clinical research in these therapeutic areas. I am also a Neurology Consultant in the NHS and an elected Fellow of the prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences.  My current role is as an international expert in developing therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders. I have worked both in Translational Medicine and Clinical Development, focussing on Alzheimer’s disease, dementias and disorders of cognition, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, pain, epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, schizophrenia, Huntington’s disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, Friedreich’s ataxia, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, sleep disorders and refractory chronic cough. I trained in Internal Medicine and Neurology in South Africa, where I obtained my medical MBBCh (MD) degree cum laude, followed by an MSc Medicine (in Neurology). I was then awarded a post-doctoral research fellowship and completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge, exploring molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration in cellular models of Huntington’s disease and trinucleotide disorders.

I studied Engineering Science at Oxford and then went straight into the Civil Service Fast Stream. My first posting was in the Department for Transport in the International Vehicle Standards team during which I developed and implemented a long-term legislative programme for the team, prioritising post-EU exit regulations. My current role is as a secondee to the Alan Turing Institute, the national institute for AI and Data Science. 

My “Green” reflection: During my degree I specialised in environmental engineering and learnt about the range of tactics engineers are developing to help combat climate change, but also to adapt our lives to its effects. One big change I have seen already in the Civil Service is the introduction of the environmental principles, which are guidelines all new policy decisions will be judged against to make sure that any changes have taken into consideration the environment and sustainability in their creation and in politicians decision making. All civil servants will now need to be aware of, and constantly consider, sustainability in their policy creation which is a very important change. 

I studied Chemical Engineering at Bath, before doing an MSc in Computational Science at Imperial. Whilst finishing my MSc, I taught myself the art of mobile app development and started building a social fitness app, nuumi, with a friend from university. After finishing my degree, I started a freelance software development studio to generate income, whilst continuing to work on nuumi. I’ve now worked for many small businesses, building custom software to help them scale their operations. Meanwhile, I am continuing to develop nuumi, trying to turn our concept into a competitive, viral mobile app.  

My “Green” reflection: I got myself an allotment during the pandemic, and have found myself a lifelong hobby in gardening and vegetable growing. I’m trying to break the stereotype that Software Developers spend all their time in a dark room with the door closed by devoting the rest of my time to the outdoors

At undergraduate level I studied Psychology and then went on to do a Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology. After completing my MSc, I enrolled on the Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route (SEPAR) with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), where I now work within organisations and as an independent practitioner. I am currently working in rugby and football, delivering workshops, attending training to offer real-time support, and working 1-2-1 with private clients. I also deliver 1-2-1 physical activity-based interventions to children in schools in south London as I am really interested in the association between physical activity and mental health.  

My “Green” reflection: I have been working for the London Wildlife Trust since 2019 alongside my studies and initial training, and through this have developed an avid interest in ‘Eco-Therapy’ (sometimes called ‘Green Therapy’). This is where therapeutic processes take place as a result of engagement with nature. For example, if supporting an athlete that requires support with anxiety, our sessions might take place walking through a forest. Equally, I offer a personal training service where all sessions take place outside in nature. This is due to the importance I place on engaging with nature due to the nourishing impact it has on our physiology and psychology, and the resultant connection one builds with nature going forwards.

I am launching a quick delivery service for tradespeople – think Deliveroo for building materials. Previously, I have managed commercial and operational teams in different tech businesses in the UK, UAE and Australia. My current business reduces the amount of supply runs tradespeople need to complete, removing vans and CO2 from our roads. I have enjoyed working on challenger business models. I have launched Deliveroo, a chocolate houmous business and now a trades delivery business – all things at the time were new, challenging customer behaviours. My career first began in film and TV, working on a Bond Film for example, but I quickly realised I was more business orientated hence the move into sales and marketing.

I studied Computer Science at the University of Cambridge, and started in the games industry as a software engineer intern in 2017. Since then I have worked on a number of different games for console and PC with the most recent release being Hogwarts Legacy, an immersive open-world game set in the Harry Potter universe. I am now a Senior Engineer at Act III, a startup game studio based in Brighton. My job is developing the tech that brings characters and gameplay to life, and usually involves programming, problem-solving, and plenty of creativity and collaboration with animators and artists.

I studied History of Art at undergraduate and postgraduate level. During my MA, I began working as a Studio Assistant for an internationally renowned artist, where I was responsible for conducting a large scale digital archival project. Following the completion of my MA, I was promoted to the role of Project Administrator, meaning I was responsible for overseeing all administrative aspects vital to the execution of the artist’s projects, which span solo exhibitions, major public sculpture commissions, art fairs, film screenings, performances and gallery talks. I am now working as Communications Coordinator for a contemporary art gallery based in Mayfair, where I oversee the gallery’s social media, press communication, and audience engagement.

My “green” reflection: The art world has undergone a huge shift in terms of sustainability, even since I began my undergraduate studies. Galleries and museums, as well as artist studios, are making a conscious effort to reduce the distances artworks need to travel when moving from one place to another, and to use more sustainable methods of transportation – this has begun to reshape the way that museums/galleries are forming their annual programmes, with more considerations being taken around which artworks are being selected and why. There has also been a very noticeable shift on the part of artists in terms of the materials they are using to make their works in, this resulting in novel approaches emerging.