Scott Colvin has gone from strength to strength in his career and has become an award-winning author after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire.
A passion for English literature and an appreciation of the transferable skills an English Literature degree would give, led Scott to the University of Central Lancashire, and set him on the road to holding political office and becoming an award-winning author.
Talking about his UCLan experience, Scott said: “I have very happy memories of my time at UCLan. Initially, I was unhappy about going away to University but as soon as I got to Preston it was great fun and academically fulfilling.
“The University had a great atmosphere, everyone was friendly and Preston was a genuinely surprising place (in a positive sense!).”
After graduation, Scott did a Master of English before finding work as a Researcher in the House of Commons for his local MP. He said: “The moment I walked into Parliament for the first time, I knew this was what I wanted to do.” Scott spent a year in the role before becoming an advisor to the Shadow Cabinet, where he spent three years running national campaigns and research.
Scott left the House of Commons to join a global U.S. based public relations company, advising a host of FTSE-100 companies on their political communications. As well as this, Scott stood for election as a local authority councillor and won the biggest majority in the history of the ward, serving a full four-year term. He said: “Being able to represent nearly 6,000 residents was very fulfilling and humbling.”
"I have very happy memories of my time at UCLan. Initially, I was unhappy about going away to University but as soon as I got to Preston it was great fun and academically fulfilling."
— Scott Colvin, BA (Hons) English Literature graduate
Scott then moved on to work for a FTSE-30 company, as their Chief Political Advisor before moving on to work for leading communications company, Finsbury. Scott was soon promoted to Partner and three years later he became Global Director for Public Affairs, where he was responsible for advising senior executives on political strategy. As part of his role at Finsbury, Scott has worked on very high-profile situations for companies such as Starbucks, Volkswagen, Astra Zeneca and Centrica, as well as pro-bono campaigns on dementia and charitable giving.
In 2011, Scott published his first book, ‘How to Use Politicians to Get What You Want’, which won the Atticus Award for Best Public Relations Book. Scott cites this as “his greatest achievement” and Scott published a second book, ‘How to Survive a Select Committee’ in 2019.
After 12 years at Finsbury Glover Hering, Scott recently became the new Global Director of Public Affairs at insurance and pensions company, Aviva PLC.
Reflecting on his time at UCLan, Scott commented: “I learnt to look after myself and it certainly broadened my view of the world. Perhaps most importantly, it fired my intellectual curiosity which is very valuable, especially when you’re working in areas of complex political policy.”
Find out more
- Subject
English
