Alumni
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Newsletters
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February 2016 Edition
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Celebrating Success!
The Holiday Season seems a long time ago now, and the flowers and chocolates from St Valentine's Day rapidly disappearing too. Thoughts are generally still focused on New Year resolutions/goals, and there are lots of new projects and ventures as well as achievements to applaud and celebrate at the Mountbatten Institute.
 Firstly, an Alumni Reception was held on Tuesday January 26th at Scandinavia House, Park Avenue, New York to celebrate Dr Paul Beresford-Hill's new CBE. Dr Beresford-Hill has been bestowed this prestigious award in recognition of his work on behalf of British American Educational and Cultural Exchange and for his contribution, over many decades to international education. The Reception was very well attended by alumni and staff, and there was a real sense of the significance of such an achievement on the behalf of Dr Beresford-Hill, and also the recognition of the impact of the Mountbatten Institute and its role in international cultural education. It makes us all proud to play a part in this great organisation. See photos from the event.
This newsletter is full of content, with many of the usual sections and more, plus there are also plenty of jobs on the alumni website, so if you are looking for a change or new challenge have a look, as most of them are given to us by alumni specifically with alumni in mind.
Lastly, a note to March and August 2014 New York Programme alumni, we will shortly be posting tax information on the alumni website. There will be links to the forms you need to download and complete, as well as a sample for each intake. Note that you cannot just copy the sample - it is there to hopefully guide and remind you how to use the details you have on your individual W2 forms to make the calculations and complete the forms. Your W2 should have been mailed to you by now, so if you have not yet received it please email Vicki and in the email give me permission to email you a copy.
NYC Marathon
Last month Jo Harvey announced to our alumni that The Mountbatten Institute had been offered one guaranteed entry for this year's NYC Marathon on Sunday November 6, 2016. After a great response, all interested candidate names were placed in a hat (well, bowl really), and Dr Paul Beresford-Hill was asked to pull one out. We are delighted to announce that the winning candidate is Lee Malam (New York, March 2014). We shall endeavour to keep you updated with Lee's marathon training as the months go by, and we will notify you of his fundraising page, when it's up and running, if you would like to sponsor him. We would also like to thank everyone of you who applied for this place, and are sorry that there was only one to give out.
A Day In The Life
Leigh Hine (New York, September 2003), a graduate of the University of Staffordshire.
What do you do? I lead the talent acquisition programme for the Football and Outdoor divisions adidas Group for our global HQ in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Set in 346 acres and previously a US air force base in WW2, over 4,000 people from 80 countries call the 'World of Sports' home. I help make sure we attract the best possible candidates from both sport and non-sport backgrounds for our roles across Footwear, Apparel, Future (Innovation), Digital, Brand Communications, Product Management & Marketing & Sports Marketing.
Let's talk about a typical day. What time do you get up? Like many of us, emails start as soon as I wake up so those are checked & replied to in bed and followed by a 20-minute drive to the World of Sports campus just outside Nuremberg. We have a brilliant gym here on campus so I’m usually in there for about 7:30 for an hour. Then shower, grab breakfast from our canteen and then head to my desk / meeting or interview.
Where do you have your lunch? We have amazing facilities on site here (including beach volleyball & tennis courts!) but the canteen is something else! Last year it served 462,000 guests and has around 1800 people through it a day. The quality is amazing, subsidised by the company and offers pasta, wok, authentic, salad and other specials per day. On top there's fruit, smoothies, the odd chocolate bar and of course the essential... a coffee cafe.
What time does your working day end? The best thing about adidas is that you’re left to get on with it. There are no set hours (aside from the 39 hour week) but I generally leave the office around 6:30 and most evenings wrap calls or emails up at home.
Read the full article
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Alum
of the Month
Katherine Sheane
New York, Sep 2009
"The most important part of working with Breast Cancer Research Foundation was seeing the difference in the philanthropy culture between the US and Ireland. Highlights included helping out at fundraisers where Elton John or Elizabeth Taylor were the guests! I also learned the importance of networking and building professional relationships. Every job I have had since my internship, I got through a personal contact and I expect that trend to continue into the future."
Read the full article
Events
The Miserables!
Etcetera Theatre, Camden, London
19-21 Feb 2016
Nicola Masters (New York, March 2013), has written, directed and produced a theatre show called The Miserables! It's an exciting parody of Les Miserables which is set in an office - it's basically about office politics and people who hate their jobs instead of the usual French revolutionaries!
Book your tickets now.
Offer a placement to a bright, eager Mountbatten!
As you know we facilitate up to 500 placements annually in NY and London, and we are looking for new dynamic opportunities in both locations for our candidates.
For more information on how to get your company or team involved please email Jo Harvey.
Notice Board
Aimee Hoefler (August 2008 – London), currently works as a fashion consultant, and one of her clients is the British brand Katherine Hooker.
Katherine Hooker has been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, Zoe Saldana and others, and is working to bring together fashion and working women in the New York City area. If you have an organization that could benefit from an evening of fashion, cocktails, snacks and networking, please reach out. Additionally, the brand is always looking for ways to give back. If you have a charity that could benefit from this opportunity, please reach out. aimee@katherinehooker.com
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March 15 Awards Ceremony - London
On Thursday 11 February 2016, students, staff and guests gathered for the March 2015 intake awards ceremony at The Brewery in Moorgate. The evening began with a drinks reception, which was followed by the main ceremony. Gary Ball (Deputy Director General) presented the awards to candidates, while speeches were given by our alumnus Benjamin Beavan (New York, March 2009) who is a Newspaper Account Manager at Getty Images; Ashley Hubert (MBA Programme Participant), Femi Oni (MA Programme Participant) and Danielle Depreo (PGC Programme Participant). The speakers entertained the audience each in their own unique way, sharing their experiences and a little wisdom learned along the way. There was an emphasis on giving back/serving others most notably in Femi Oni's speech and also alumnus Ben Beavan highlighting his work as a Trustee of the Peruvian charity Amantani. Other staff and guests included Dr Melissa Willby (our new Academic Director in London) and Dr Johanna Lindemann (St Mary's University Twickenham). There were also company representatives from Blackrock and RBS.
Following the ceremony, dinner was served in the Queen Charlotte room where there was a buoyant atmosphere, and towards the end of the meal there was a slideshow of the intake's year. Mountbatten would like to congratulate and wish the best of luck to all participants, and ask them to stay in touch as their professional lives progress.
See the full award list and view photos by photographer Marcelo Deguchi.
Entrepreneurial Alumni
Nilofar Idris Jacques
(nee Haroon)
New York, Aug 2011
Nilofar recently set up a company Anayah Jewellery, an online retailer of modern Indian Jewellery and textiles such as pure Cashmere scarves from Kashmir. It is a small startup Nilofar and her husband Adam Jacques (also New York, August 2011) who got married on 24th May 2015, run from front to back.
What inspired you to set it up?
My father has always run his own businesses so he has always been an inspiration to me when deciding to start Anayah Jewellery. My experiences in New York on the Mountbatten programme gave me exposure to international markets which helped shape elements of our strategy by giving us a chance to interact with the Asian market outside of India and see first hand their buying habits and what trends were prevalent overseas.
How did you go about setting it up?
It all started when I started planning my wedding (to Adam), and realised there was a market for Asian Jewellery and Textiles. Having my family in India makes it easier to deal with suppliers and purchasing. We've been working on establishing our social media presence to reach out to our potential customers in an interactive medium. Please follow us on Instagram @Anayah_Jewellery you can also check out our website www.anayahjewellery.com.
Our future plans involve adding new product lines based on trends in the Asian Fashion Industry and to develop a presence at Asian bridal shows up and down the country. We also plan to expand our textile range and sell them in local London markets.
Any words of advice/wisdom or encouragement?
You won't know everything right away so don't let that stop you, starting a business is a continuous learning experience.
Anayah Jewellery are currently offering a 10% discount on all products on their website for Mountbatten alumni. Just add the discount code: MOUNTBATTEN at the checkout.
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David Mantle
New York, September 2007
What is Stashbee?
We have recently launched Stashbee which is a community marketplace where people can book secure storage space in the homes, lofts and garages of trusted homeowners who live nearby.
- It's safe: Our hosts are background checked.
- It's great value: £5 per box, per month (you won't find a better price).
- It's easy: We match you with someone nearby.
I run the business with my business partner Anthony and we are working full time on getting the platform up and running. At present we are both working on all aspects of the business, but I guess I am focusing on boosting Stashbee's sales whilst also developing the operations and infrastructure.
What inspired you to set it up?
We both experienced the nightmare and ridiculous expense of using old school self-storage. Driving miles out of town, dealing with grumpy staff who hate their customers - we knew there had to be a better way. We set out to build a service which would help bring down the cost of storage whilst also helping people with unused space make some spare cash.
How did you go about setting it up?
We are still in the early stages of setting up Stashbee and still have a long way to go. Hopefully through the process of developing a solid platform and set of learnings we will be in a good place to grow. We would like to see Stashbee as a global player in the sharing economy. It would be great to rub shoulders with the likes of Uber and Airbnb, shaking up the storage industry in the process.
Any words of advice/wisdom or encouragement?
First my favorite quote – "and then there is the most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later." – Randy Komisar
My three bits of advice:
- If you're thinking about setting something up... get on with it! You will learn more than you can imagine and the personal satisfaction is huge.
- Surround yourself with likeminded people who help you achieve your dreams.
- There has never been a better time e.g. the tools available, the reach through social media and the money available for Investment.
Check us out at www.stashbee.com or follow us on facebook. |
Universities in the Spotlight
The university recruitment campaign is picking up apace both in the UK and the States, so please look at the schedule and contact us if you are available and would like to attend and assist at a careers fair or presentation. Recent visits include to the Antwerp Management School where alum Ward Viaene (August 2011, New York) took time out of his busy schedule of a new venture (co founder of in4it featured in our November 2015 newsletter) to assist, and also Rhoda Egharevba (September 2009, New York) who went up to Aston University with London office staff. Many thanks to both of you for your invaluable help.
We will be visiting Trinity College Dublin on 25th February, which is the university Katherine Sheane our current Alum of the Month attended. Trinity has provided the programme with many illustrious alumni over the years including Sarah Leahy (September 2006, New York), who currently works as a Consultant at the Office of the Dublin Commissioner for Startups, Ireland and also the Irish Executive Mentoring Programme; and Eoin Quirke (March 2013, New York) who is in Music Tour Management for Askonas Holt in London.
Jobs
All our hot jobs this month have been given to us by alumni who would like to recruit more alumni to join their organisations. Our Day in the Life Leigh Hine gives an inside view as to what it's like to work at Adidas HQ in Herzogenaurach, Germany, and gave us the details of a Senior Manager - Communications for Football position they are currently recruiting for (amongst other roles on their website). Medidata is looking for a Software Developer for the Clinical Development Process in London; Prospect33 needs an Operations Manager for their Canary Wharf office; and, there is a vacancy at Stanford University in California for a Research Administrator for the Ophthalmology Department.
View all available jobs on our alumni website.
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