Class of 1987
Recreation Management and Psychology
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADUATE STUDY?
No
JOB:
Founder of Reasons Y Ltd
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
I’m the one in the middle with Chris (Otis) left and Simon (Froggy) right. We were best friends at YSJ, all meeting within hours on our 1st day, sharing houses in Year 2 and 3, and back into halls year 4. The picture was taken at the funeral of our other housemate Russ, who sadly passed away in November 2021. I’ve included this picture because it reflects the amazing bond we formed as a result of spending 4 years together in York, which has continued until today, and really does shout out at you, live life to the full everyday!
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY?
Back in the mid 80’s the main campus was much smaller with halls of residents on site so it felt like one big community, and that you practically knew everyone. There was always something going on out of lectures; as a Recreation Management student being part of various sports teams was great fun, and the Union Bar was the main hub for socialising – those of a certain vintage will remember the infamous beams!
I was also lucky in the cohort that I was involved in around lectures were all really interested in the subject, and as a group were very supportive in how we approached studies etc. I must also mention the inspirational Romano Zavaroni – a lecturer who was clearly ahead of his time in his approach to teaching – and whom I learned so much from, and which I have put into practice during my career.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
My PE teacher at school attended the college, as did one of my football team mates from the team I played for at home, both of whom recommended YSJ. I was also fell in love with the campus at the open day I attended due to its size and that everyone I met on the day was so friendly – the campus definitely had a vibe about it!
I was also really interested in the course curriculum on offer, and how over the 4 years you could build a modular-based degree by choosing subjects you were most interested in and would be motivated by.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
I never did go into teaching but followed a more commercial path as a result of the course content that I found most interesting. Post graduating I started my career in London working for an advertising agency as a graduate trainee, moved around numerous agencies as a way of seeking new challenges and promotions, and went to night school to study for a Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma.
I moved to the client side in 1997 working for Scottish and Newcastle (now Heineken) and then followed senior management roles at Coca-Cola and BT. In 2014 I return to the agency world as Managing Partner of Dentsu Aegis Scotland. In 2018 I launched my own consultancy business, and today I specialise in two areas: helping business, organisations and individuals identify what are their barriers to growth, and also presentation training and presentation delivery in the post COVID workplace.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
Prior to starting at the college I had been set on a career in teaching. However, on reading the course prospectus I felt Recreation Management and all the subject areas it covered as a degree, including a 3-month work placement, would give me more choice at the end of the degree – but if teaching was still calling I could study for a PGCE .
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
As I mentioned before, it was the variety of the subject modules you could choose that made it so enjoyable. There were many best features but I would say that the 3-month work placement was invaluable mainly because it made me realise that I didn’t want to work within local council sport provision!
The other best feature I would say was learning how to work together as a team in researching, preparing, presenting and discussing a subject matter you had been tasked on, and as such, on entering work post YSJ it gave me confidence in those early days post Uni .
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
No.1 – enjoy your time and get the most out of it, student life goes by very quickly especially if you throw yourself into as many things as possible that you enjoy. No.2 acquire as many skills as you can – skills and transferable skills are so important as you enter the work place, you’ll be surprised how many valuable skills you acquire through your time at YSJ.