Carl Lincoln has ambition. A Kent Business School Alumnus, Carl achieved 1st Class Honours in Business Studies with a Year in Industry before going on to achieve a distinction in his MSc in Value Chain Management in 2013.
Having met his current employer ITL (Integrated Technologies Ltd) in his final year studying at Kent Business School, Carl is now an established business leader, a fine example of how a KBS student can maximise on opportunities presented to them by KBS.
We spoke to Carl to find about more about his journey from backpack to briefcase.
Tell us about your academic background.
My A-Levels were quite a mix, including Music, French and Business Studies – that’s where I first got interested in marketing. From there I completed a Business Studies Degree with a Year in Industry and then an MSc in Value Chain Management both at the University of Kent. I learnt the fundamentals of marketing theory at University but really got stuck in to the specifics on the job. Being a one-person team I’ve had to learn a little of everything including web development, SEO, social media, content marketing and much more.
How did you secure your role as Marketing and Business Development Manager at ITL?
I met the CEO and one of the Directors of ITL during a Pitch It! challenge as part of my MSc at Kent Business School, Canterbury. Despite knowing nothing about science or engineering I found the idea of working in this area fascinating (I’m a bit of a nerd) and there was a clear need for a complete overhaul of their marketing activities.
What are your business goals moving forward?
The main goal for the business is growth through international expansion. We have a growing business in China, fuelled by an appetite for higher quality medical care in the increasingly well-off middle class. A large percentage of the devices we manufacture end up in America and so three years ago we set up a facility in Virginia to provide after-sales servicing for our clients there. This facility will soon be offering domestic manufacturing too. During my time at ITL I’ve been lucky enough to visit both China and the US multiple times.
How has your experience at Kent Business School benefitted your career?
Theory aside I think the main thing that my studies at KBS helps me with now is the confidence to make big decisions and know that I can follow them through. My job has a much higher degree of responsibility than many graduate roles and my degrees set me up really well for this.
Many thanks to Carl for sharing his advice.
Integrated Technologies Ltd (ITL) is a global medical device design and manufacturing company which employs around 100 people at its headquarters in Ashford, Kent.
Find out more about ITL and its career opportunities.
Follow ITL on LinkedIn and Twitter (@IntTechLtd).
Alumni Blogger:
Carl Lincoln
My name is Carl Lincoln and I head up the marketing department of a medical device design and manufacturing company called Integrated Technologies Ltd (ITL) based in Ashford, Kent.
Despite being tempted to carry on to a PhD I finally managed to pull myself away from the University of Kent in 2013 after an undergraduate degree in Business Studies and an MsC in Value Chain Management.
Expect short, punchy, actionable advice that I hope will help students to get into the right mindset for finding their ideal graduate job and making the most of it when they do.