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Students benefit from speed-networking

The LSBU Alumni Association and the Accounting & Finance Society teamed up to host an “employability speed dating” event last week. Selected Accounting & Finance (A&F) alumni from a variety of organisations and experience were invited back to campus to speak with current students and offer careers advice.

This was the first time that the Alumni Association had worked in partnership with a student society. The idea was first put forward when Haider Hussain, President of the LSBU Accounting & Finance Society, approached the Association to discuss ways of tapping onto the expertise of the University’s graduates for the benefit of his society’s members. Six A&F graduates participated in this networking event, representing a vast array of organisations from an international professional services firm to small and medium enterprises, as well as a non-commercial regulatory body.

After a brief introductory welcome from Iain Boatman, Head of Accounting & Finance, each speaker was shown to their own table with their name, job title and organisation on display. Students were then split into groups to spend 10 minutes talking with each guest and, after each round, were circulated to the subsequent table to speak with the next graduate. The event was then followed by informal networking and refreshments for students who had further questions for the guest speakers.

Panayiotis Christou, Tax Adviser at Deloitte and graduate of the BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance from 2004, took part as an alumni speaker and found the event to be an enriching experience: “Great to be back at LSBU after nearly 10 years. I was thrilled to be invited to attend the A&F Society event and thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the students and former lecturers. The best part was having answers to some of their questions, all of which were ones I had when I was where they are now. It was well organised by the team and I look forward to attending again in the future.”

Due to the success of this event, the LSBU Alumni Association is currently organising another employability event with the Occupational Therapy Society. As a former student of the University, we are proud of the success of our alumni and encourage you to share your knowledge with our students. You can also take a look at the complete list of student societies and, if you have an idea for an event, please contact the Alumni Office and we will do our best to work with you.