MSc Programme and Project Management students hear from industry professionals
Current MSc Programme and Project Management students heard from two Project Managers in an industry-led guest speaker session.
Dr Roula Michaelides, Director of Studies for MSc Programme and Project Management, introduced the session as an opportunity for students to network with industry professionals.
Brian Bishop, Managing Director at Data Performance Consultancy Ltd, spoke first about his experiences of running his own business. As an engineer by trade, Brian said that he learnt what it takes to become a good project manager, as well as an entrepreneur, on the job.
Brian discussed how he created a project pathway for his company, which is supported by the Santander Incubation Hub, and that the key to good project management is to make your aspirations scalable.
Speaking about the pressures of project management, Brian said: “there’s huge social aspect to running a business. You need to understand people’s needs and the consequences involved in saying there’s a better way of doing something.”
Students also heard from Jacob Turner who graduated in 2015 from the Management School’s MSc Programme and Project Management. Jacob became Programme, Project and Service Management Lead at Accenture, a global leading professional services company, soon after graduating and his presentation focused on his transition from university to industry.
In his new role, Jacob is responsible for managing projects for Accenture’s technology sector. He highlighted how important the knowledge gained from his MSc was in his current job.
He said: “During my MSc, I learnt lots of different project management methods and now at Accenture, I have realised all of these are relevant and I used a mix of methods on a daily basis.”
Following presentations students were invited to a question and answer session and were provided with advice about developing industry experience in project management.