Tell us about your career journey since you graduated…
I am currently a Vice-President within the Chief Controls Office at Barclays. I also sit on the Senior Leadership team of the Black Professionals Forum - in this role I am responsible for the promotion, retention and development of BAME talent across the Barclays Group including, most recently, devising a Director Leadership programme for diverse senior leaders.
Outside of work, I joined the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for STEM to create Government Policy to encourage those from BAME or non-traditional backgrounds into STEM careers. In addition, I am a speaker and regularly participate in panel discussions and workshops on the topic of accessibility and the promotion and retention of diverse employees.
I am proud to have been listed in the Financial Times as the #3 Global Ethnic Minority Future leader (2018) and #4 Global Female Future Leader (2018), Brummell Magazines 'Inspirational Women - City Pioneers' (2018) and to have also received awards such as We are the City - Rising Star (2017) and the Black British Business Awards - Rising Star (2016) in recognition of my work within Financial Services.
How would you say Brunel helped you to get where you are today?
At Brunel, I was part of a mentoring program which really helped to broaden my horizons and provide the opportunity to network. This was something which was really important to me as I was the first generation in my family to go to University and ultimately work in a FTSE 100 company.
Why did you choose to study at Brunel and why would you recommend Brunel to others?
I chose Brunel University because of its excellent academic reputation in research. I would recommend the University to others for the excellent student experience.
The teaching at Brunel (especially by Dr Alex Xanthaki) was also exceptional! I was truly intrigued and engaged in my final year given the personal choice of subjects I studied.
What is your best memory of studying here?
I really enjoyed my time on campus as everything was centrally located and very accessible. The sports facilities were also second to none. My best memory is the day I was sat in the Library and finished my dissertation!
If you could give one piece of advice to students as they begin their academic journey, what would that be?
My one piece of advice is: always plan ahead for the end of your degree and where possible, always have a backup plan.
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