On Wednesday the 22nd of February, Newcastle University Business School hosted Gain a Global Advantage (GaGA), a one-day event encouraging students to enhance their employability by getting global experience.
The event forms part of the Business School’s award-winning Global Experience Opportunity Programme. It involved inspiring talks from global professionals, interactive workshops, and opportunities to network with prestigious global employers.
Speakers included Victoria Gibbard from PepsiCo and representatives from Uber, Lloyds Banking Group, Ivy Park, Civil Service HR, Deutsche Bank, and others. On the day of the event, GaGA posted on their Facebook page that they had reached over 1000 sign-ups to these sessions, and promised a “unique day of Gaining a Global Advantage” for the students attending.
Tim Warrilow, Co-Founder and CEO at Fever Tree and a Newcastle University Graduate held an insightful talk on the influence of his company and his own journey to success. Fever Tree is a global market leader for mixers, launched in 2005 to tackle the problem of limited tonic water options in the growing gin industry.
Warrilow spoke inspiringly about his journey from Newcastle University to starting his own business which would become what is now the world’s largest premium mixer company. When asked what makes graduates attractive to employers like Fever Tree, and for any advice for students seeking global experience Tim told The Courier:
“Fever Tree looks for people who are curious, with eyes wide open to opportunities not just here but internationally.
“Graduates understandably have limited experience when they leave university, but those who have travelled and engaged outside their community are good to see.”
Tim recommended taking the risk to work with a small, fast-growing business after university stating it would be a great place to start a career.David Heath, General Manager at Ivy Park – Beyoncé’s activewear clothing line’s lecture covered experience in the Sports and Outdoor industry, describing how the Ivy Park brand was built and why it has already gained so much worldwide attention since its launch in April 2016. He mentioned that we are in an “exciting phase” for fitness and wellbeing, and activewear is a “dynamic, very exciting market” at the moment.
David said the first thing he would ask anyone who wanted to work for Ivy Park would be: “Have you got passion?” He emphasised that his passion for sport drove his career and advised students to step out of their comfort zone, trying out lots of different industries after university to find out what they’re passionate about.
Follow the Global Experience Opportunity Facebook page for more events.
