‘I oversee the financial side of all the projects that we have within the Europe, Middle East and Africa region’

Why did you choose the Kent Business School?

Simple, the focus and enthusiasm to support students in achieving industrial placements and graduate jobs shone through when I visited. Every lecturer and tutor was approachable and happy to help at the open day, throughout my studies and even after graduation. Not to mention Canterbury is an amazing place to live!

What are some of your favourite memories, achievements and experiences?

Achieving a first-class degree and joining a Graduate Program have be my best achievements during University. Making lifelong friends and learning from some amazing lectures are experiences which will stay with me forever.

What have you been up to since graduating?

After graduating, I joined a European Graduate Program within Commercial Finance and travelled Europe in this role. I have since joined Collins Aerospace within Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) and been promoted twice into management roles during my three years there.

What does your role involve? What do you like about it the most, and what are the most challenging aspects?

I oversee the financial side of all the projects that we have within the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Having ownership and accountability of the forecast for these projects is both exciting and challenging!

How do you apply the knowledge and skills you gained during your studies in your job, and what career advice would you give students and fellow alumni?

An industrial placement allows you to put all of the skills you have learnt into practise. It also puts you in a great position when applying for a Graduate position. Kent University has some fantastic career advice resources too.

What are your future plans / aspirations?
My plan is to continue to learn and develop within the FP&A side of Finance. I want to keep working my way up through management and achieve a role within Head of Finance.

What advice would you give to current students doing your course?
Work hard but find time to relax and socialise! It is also important to push yourself in the areas that you are weakest in now, rather than later. Also, don’t let intern and job rejections get you down, use them as constructive feedback and use all of the University’s resources to help you!

Joshua studied BSc Accounting and Finance at Kent Business School.