Kingston University London

Former student: Duncan Ashby

Year of graduation: 1994

Current job: Senior Consultant, IBM

Location: London

A Business Information Technology degree has enabled Duncan Ashby to enjoy a career that offers constant variety and challenge.

“Initially I planned to do a business studies course. But I had always been interested in computing, so when I heard about the Business Information Technology course at Kingston, it seemed a perfect opportunity to get skills in two areas, both of which are relevant to employers.

“I found the course very interesting.  I also remember finding it hard work!   But the breadth of the areas it covered gave me a lot of career choices.

“After graduation, I got my first job with an IT consultancy called LBMS.  The job involved working on a variety of client-based consulting assignments.  Most of my work was systems analysis and design work; talking to clients and modelling a system from their specifications.

“After two years, I went to work for Coopers & Lybrand; I’ve been at the same company ever since, although it has had various mergers and takeovers.  The consulting side of the business is now part of IBM and I’ve moved into project management and strategy work. 

“This means I have two types of assignment.  One is large system implementations – for example, I set up a contact centre for a new mobile phone company so it could register new customers and deal with enquiries.  It also needed a billing system that notes the phone calls made and sends out statements.  I do similar work across many different industries. 

“The other area I work in is IT strategy.  This could be understanding a client’s current business picture and looking at where it needs to go over the next ten years.  Or it could be improving performance in a current organisation, which would involve defining a new way of working, training existing staff and recruiting new employees. 

“So the knowledge I gained from my degree of both business and IT is invaluable.  I can suggest ways my clients can use IT to improve their business performance and work in partnership with them on that level.  My IT background helps me manage the technical people working for me. I can challenge them effectively about whether they’ve chosen the best option.

“What I like about my job is that once you have a reputation for being adaptable and able to deliver, you’re not pigeonholed into one thing.  Every new project is like a new job.  It’s never dull because you are always getting the chance to apply your skills to something new.”

Former student: Gary Walder

Year of graduation: 1990

Current job: Account Director, Carlson Marketing

Location: Bristol

Gary is a graduate from Kingston’s first ever Business Information Technology (BIT) course. His degree has helped him on a career which has taken him all over Europe making TV ads for some of the world’s most exciting brands and, more recently, incorporating his love of technology.

“After graduating, my first job was with a consumer durables research agency called GFK. My role was to handle data, communicate with clients and influence their tactics. The BIT course had equipped me to get the day-to-day job done while also understanding the bigger business picture.

"After two years, my career took an unusual turn when I decided to go to Moscow. I got a job with a large advertising agency called McCann Erickson. This was 1993 and advertising had only been allowed in Russia since 1990, so it was a great opportunity. Everything we did was brand new and we had a fantastic client list with companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestle and Bacardi.

"When I came back to the UK three years later, I continued to work in advertising. Initially I worked for Ogilvy and Mather on Ford’s Eastern Europe account. Then in 1998 I moved to Düsseldorf and worked on the BMW account.

"Throughout this time, I made good use of the commercial skills I’d acquired on the BIT course. Making TV ads needs research and a good grasp of the business aims.

"When I returned to the UK in 2000, my degree became even more relevant to my career. I got a job with an agency which specialised in marketing technology. I was working for the kind of companies that I’d learnt about at University. Ten years down the line, I was using the case study principals I’d been taught as a student.

"Since then I’ve stayed in a technology environment. My current employer, Carlson Marketing, is a digital agency dealing with clients such as Muller dairies, Huggies nappies and Dunlop tyres. Technology has changed a lot since 1990, but the base principles that I learnt on the course still hold true.

"Agency work suits my skills base and temperament, but the BIT degree has allowed me to hone my career to incorporate technology which I also enjoy. To be able to do this, so many years after graduation, has both surprised and delighted me.”