What it Takes to enter the job market

Monique Noel Brown is a Public Relations contractor at Amazon Web Services (AWS), she works cross-functionally across the EMEA PR team and UKI team. Her journey into PR began with the Taylor Bennett Foundation (TBF); she joined the agency in 2021 after graduating and scored an Internal Communications internship with BT Enterprise, and was then promoted to an Internal Communications Specialist in BT Consumer. After the end of her contract, Monique decided to explore the external side of communications, and went on to start at AWS. She is currently focusing on the sectors: EMEA Sustainability and Infrastructure, and UKI Public Relations. 

In her free time, Monique attends many Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) networking events, where she hopes to show other graduates and young people from ethnic backgrounds that there is a space for them within the Communications industry, and they can achieve whatever they set their mind to. 

“Networking is key to having an abundance of opportunities, to learn from people and gain some key communication skills – I would recommend all graduates to attend some networking sessions and get talking to potential future employers.” 

Abdul currently works as a Cyber Security Associate at Aon where he supports companies with their cyber security problems. Some days he will be helping a customer to obtain Cyber Insurance by examining a company's current cyber security and what can be done to ensure they are able to secure a good premium. On other days, he may be testing a company’s website to see how a hacker may be able to exploit it. 

During his time at university, Abdul worked at a range of companies in a part time capacity. Abdul spent 8 months at a then start-up called Cleo working within their customer operation team. He spent time trying to improve the customer journey with the company and helped solve customer queries. He also worked at a Mortgage broking company called Habito, where he spent time accessing mortgage applications to see if it met the minimum requirements. Finally, before joining his graduate job, he spent over 1 year at Utility Warehouse within the customer service team, in a period where the energy crisis was at its peak. 

Abdul's work within the university was also noticed, where he was nominated twice for his contribution to student’s wellbeing by the student union and also achieved a president of the year award, for the society he created called ‘The Travel Society’. Abdul created this society after attending the Westminster Working Culture, where he visited Washington DC to understand the work culture over there. The society gained over 700 followers within 6 months and he personally hosted over 28 events with over 850 tickets sold. The society is all about building a community where everyone is welcomed and he hosted a vast range of events where there was an event that suited everyone’s liking. 

Taha is a BSc Finance and MSc Finance & Accounting graduate from WBS and Imperial College London, respectively. He has over 4 years of experience and currently works within the Global Strategy team at Citi. Previously, he worked in fintech for almost four years and did an internship in capital markets at a Canadian investment bank during his MSc. He also has completed a few additional internships and has participated in volunteering whilst at the Westminster Business School. Outside office hours, he mostly enjoys skiing, playing football, lifting weights, or trying out some new guitar chords!

Since finishing his degree at Westminster Business School as a BA Marketing Communications Graduate, Sam has worked for agencies both large and small, from PPC media to market research, before finally settling as a Social Strategist at Havas, one of the world’s largest creative groups working on clients including American Express, Mars, and Specsavers.

Irina Ghervase is a Senior Content Steward at ICP, an advertising and marketing agency that specialises in Digital Asset Management and Usage Rights Management solutions enhanced by technology.

Her career journey began in PR after completing her 2nd year of university, when she secured a summer PR internship with Mercieca, a London-based integrated Public Relations agency. During her PR internship, she has worked for various global clients, such as Weetabix, P&G, Beko, Yazoo and many others.

Later on and upon graduating, Irina managed to secure her first full-time job in Advertising as a European Content Manager, working for WPP (the leading group in the advertising and marketing sector) and its designed integrated agency for Ford Motor Company, GTB. She has spent roughly three and a half years within WPP and accumulated further work experience in advertising by transitioning to another WPP company (Hogarth) as an Account Manager to work on the Nespresso account. Only recently, Irina started her new role at ICP, working on the P&G account and overseeing specific sub-brands, such as Braun, Gillette and Venus in North America and Europe.

In her career so far, Irina has gained experience across various departments in marketing and advertising, such as post-production, transcreation/localisation, asset management and usage rights management and last but not least, account management experience.

While at university, Irina also volunteered as an English Teacher for Connect Me: North Korea, an organisation supporting North Korean refugees in London. Additionally, she has also taken part in organising various University events, such as the PRCA career fair event. In her last year of university, Irina also received the opportunity to enrol in the Hong Kong 2019 Westminster Working Cultures programme, where she was able to explore a global work environment and enhance her interpersonal skills by visiting different organisations and prestigious Hong Kong headquarters, such as Bloomberg and the British Consulate.

Irina is a big fan of self-development and art, in her free time she has taken improv courses to improve her communications skills and to help her think outside the box.