Be open minded, there are many opportunities to come!
On Wednesday June 19th, Refinitiv welcomed Urban Synergy Mentoring and 80, 13-14 year old students from Sedgehill School in Catford, and TLG School in Lewisham.
We were lucky to have John Finch, Chief Information Officer, Refinitv, there to welcome everyone, and explain at a high level his role as CIO and the technology division within Refinitiv. His easy to understand description inspired many of the children to be the “boss man” one day!
John also welcomed our keynote speaker Adrian Joseph, who is Partner, Artificial Intelligence, Analytics, Big Data, EY Advisory as well as an Urban Synergy Ambassador.
Adrian talked about the rapidly changing landscape of technology and said “If you don’t want to become part of an algorithm, you should want to start writing them”. He also spoke frankly about technology being a growth area allowing students to “Earn 20% more if you do STEM subjects” and that he focuses on his 3 D’s when making career decisions: “Data, Digital Transformations & Diversity and Inclusion”. By focusing on these he can consider his best next step.
Dianne Johnson from Urban Synergy led the panel discussion with:
- Tahmid Chowdhury, Sales Graduate
- Rachel Lee, Innovation Sourcing Managing
- Angela Jones, Director Network Operations
- Nick Sylvester, Director Global Partnerships
Each panellist described brief career journeys and gave top tips to the students, to prepare them for the world of work. A theme of open mindedness came through, with Tahmid saying: “Be proactive, try and find things out yourself, be curious try to find different ways of learning” and “Be coachable, take feedback, and be open to learning”
Which Rachel built on, saying “I didn’t have the opportunity to study computer science at school but it didn’t limit me” She explained that she kept trying new things as she travelled to get to where she is now. She also said “The world is your oyster, be curious and open minded”.
Angela said her most important skills were being organised, confident and open, she said “be confident in yourself and be involved, I did a range of things, and they taught me different skills” which has led her to working in multiple roles and countries.
Nick talked of having two careers and that versatility is key. “You need that backup plan,as along your journey you will have a lot of challenges, how you come through them is what counts”
After the panel our speed mentoring session commenced, and we were joined by many excellent role models from around Refinitiv, which was clearly reflected in the student feedback:
“You should always be curious to learn more and go out of your way to ask questions. I learned that confidence and organisation is key. I will get out of my comfort zone and do new things - I will make sure I have a backup plan. I enjoyed speaking to everyone because it was interesting to see all the different jobs.”
We also heard “I will be more confident, go out and interact with people, tackle adversity, have a healthy mind and be organised. I enjoyed interacting with the role models and learning their stories also getting tips and asking questions.” A solid step toward finding new opportunities.
