Class of ’82 return to LSBU

Students from the BSc Engineering Product Design (EPD) were treated to a rare visit from six LSBU alumni from the class of 1982.

Old friend: students from the 1982 Engineering & Product Design cohort display their work

Over thirty years had passed since the group completed their final-year design projects amongst the workshops of the Borough Road Building. And rather than organising a typical reunion down the local pub, the ’82 cohort wanted to offer something different.

As the students waited patiently to hear from the experienced professional, each alumnus offered support and examples of their career successes with audio-visual presentations. A lively and revealing Q&A session then followed as they remained on-hand to answer individual questions, offering advice from their considerable expertise in the Design industry. 

Shane Sullivan, Track-side IT Portfolio Manager for the McLaren Formula One Racing Team, was keen to give something back to his former institution: “LSBU had a profound influence on me and prepared me well for entering the workplace as a graduate. The industry placement year was a very valuable experience. The course was only in its 2nd year of running and so it was quite groundbreaking at the time. I practiced engineering for several years before taking a departure into IT and Project Management which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to all at LSBU.”

Ian Tansley, Founder and Chief Technical Officer of True Energy, echoed his former classmate’s sentiments: “It's great to see the place still so active, as well as the advancement of the modelling techniques. We all learned a lot from South Bank and will always have happy memories of the place.”

Students were equally positive after the talk. Alain Mouandza, a final year EPD student, said: “I really enjoyed the event and believe it will help me in my future.” Balneet Dhiraj, a first year student, was encouraged by how their experiences led to new opportunities to work abroad: “Interesting to see where they worked, and how work placements can even help you find a future job outside of the UK.”

If you studied at LSBU and would like to share your experience of leaving university and getting employment with current LSBU students, please contact the alumni office on alumni@lsbu.ac.uk or 020 7815 6712.