Holidays Season

Dear Mountbatten Alumni,

A few weeks ago I was in London and had the opportunity of catching up with alumni representing various aspects of the program. At a drinks gathering I met with a mixture of current London trainees and recent alumni. What struck me was the happy, enthusiastic and joyous attitude of everyone and the obvious delight that so many of you take in the friendships and associations that have sustained you over the years. To meet up with alumni who have been home now for two years, or ten years, and hear a similar message: that 'Mountbatten, whether in London, New York or Bangkok, was one of the truly formative experiences of my life' is a testimony to your ability to manage change and to use that experience for both your own good and that of others. Believe you me, if any 'soft skill' is going to see us all through the next decade, it will be our ability to manage change, and manage it with confidence. That's what sets all of you apart and that's what binds us all together in a vibrant and exciting community.

I wish a wonderful holiday season to everyone and my hope that that 2018 will be a year of promise, good health and happiness for all.

Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill, CBE
Director General

Mountbatten Connect - Please join us!

We were excited this year to launch our new alumni engagement platform for you – Mountbatten Connect. We are delighted to report that we have almost 1,800 alumni signed up this year, which is amazing, but we want more of you! To that end our very own Torrey Klett put her English degree to good use this week and wrote you a poem, yes, a poem, to entice you to sign up. So please show Torrey your support, I mean she wrote you a poem, and take the opportunity over the holidays to sign up. The whole Mountbatten Alumni World of connections, jobs, events and news awaits you! Check your email for your copy of the poem 'Oh the Places You've Been... Through Mountbatten!' If you are already signed up to the platform you can view the poem on there.

The top intake years who are signed up so far are 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 – 2015 is in the lead! So if your intake year is not in that top 5 you need to gather your alumni friends and coordinate to sign up. So it has been an exciting year for the Alumni team and more to look forward to in 2018, when we will be launching the Mountbatten Connect App.

Happy Holidays and look forward to continuing our connections in 2018.

Jo, Vicki, Torrey & Omar

#CN30 under 30

Annie Metcalfe (New York, March 2014) a graduate of Leeds Metropolitan University was recently awarded a place in the Conference News 30 Under Thirty Initiative, which was launched to recognise the next generation of event managers and the innovation they bring to the industry. Annie attributes much of her success to the many people who have supported her throughout her international journey.

In early 2015, Annie returned from New York to take up a role in the Tournament Guest and Protocol team at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In 2016 she was appointed Head of Operations for the boutique events agency, Clear Partners, specializing in Incentive Reward Travel. Annie's mission is to give her guests those "pinch yourself moments", whether that means surprising guests with a saxophonist in a ski resort, welcoming a mixologist on to a boat in Ibiza or white water rafting through the Borneo jungle.

Recently commenting on the accolade Annie says "The events industry is full of committed and hard working people who regularly go the extra mile without expecting to be recognised as being special in any way. Like me, they are just doing their job to the best of their ability, hoping to create memories for their clients. I'm proud to represent every one of them in receiving this accolade."

To further her self-development Annie will be working at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Alum
of the Month

Nicholas Siconolfi
London, August 2013

"Currently I am [still] with Prospect 33, but have since relocated back to London to support our firm's UK client base. After spending two years working on delivering various facets of the Volcker Rule at a major bank, I have now moved on to a new client as a lead Project Manager in a strategic infrastructure project... I will say that I always plan to keep challenging myself in new ways to further advance my career. Currently that means studying to acquire my Professional Project Manager (PMP) certification and taking courses to learn the basics of big data and blockchain technologies as I expect these are the next big trends to shape the finance (and many other) industries.."

Read the full article

Refer and receive an Amazon voucher!

If you know of anyone who might have what it takes to live, work and study abroad on the Mountbatten program, please help us spread the word! See full details.