About me

• Head of Business Development at Wakelet 
• BA (Hons) Sports Management (Exchange), 2017  
• Contact me on LinkedIn

About my career

Anne Thompson, our course leader at Manchester Met, introduced me to the Switch the Play team where I started my career as an intern. Switch the Play is a sports charity that works on helping athletes transition into life outside of sport. 

I am the Head of Business Development at the tech start-up Wakelet, where I develop and oversee the company’s global partnership strategy. My responsibilities include successful implementation of Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies with partner organisations such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon. Additionally, I align partner activities with the company’s goals and objectives.

One significant takeaway from my time at Manchester Met is the ability to present, lead and organise team projects. This taught me practical transferable skills, which have been invaluable in my professional workspace.

The University’s careers department and student exchange department were extremely supportive of me in the early days of job hunting and even after I started working. The guidance I received from them has been invaluable.  

Post-graduation from Manchester Met, I have completed an introductory computer programming course, CS106A at Stanford University. This course taught me the Python language,  utilizing materials from the first half of Stanford University’s established introductory course, CS106A.

My top tip for students… 

Work after graduation: It is a super competitive graduate market out there. don’t be disheartened by rejected applications. I had several. The key is to stay on the ball, be really proactive, constantly investing in yourself while looking for a job. 

It is essential to work hard and stay disciplined. Focus on giving your best effort to the task at hand and continually strive for improvement each day. By maintaining this approach, progress will naturally follow as a by-product of your work. 

I am inspired by… 

I find inspiration in the pursuit of excellence, consistently striving to progress and become the best version of myself at any given point. I strongly relate to the Japanese Kaizen philosophy.

 
Why I love Manchester Met  

Having received the Vice-Chancellor’s scholarship award in my first year, I have always felt the support and belief of the University’s faculty in my abilities to be a top performer from the very start. I always look back at my time at Manchester Met very fondly. Through my course at University, I have broadened my views and perspectives on a variety of subjects. I have always felt the support from all of my lecturers/tutors and other faculty members from the University, having collaborated on several work-related projects with them.