Business alumnus finds his professional passion

Will had several years of hospitality experience behind him when he decided to apply for the BA (Hons) Business & Management degree at the University of Central Lancashire. He could have continued building a successful hospitality career but Will wanted more. He said: “I wanted to take what I had already learned to a whole new level and have a much deeper understanding of the processes of a business."

Will achieved that, and more, when he not only completed his degree but went on to gain an MA in Marketing Management with us. He was also awarded for his ‘Outstanding Commitment to Academic Scholarship’ and gained a place on the Dean’s list for our School of Business. Talking about his UCLan experience, Will said: “Whether it was understanding the importance of change management within an organisation, or marketing products to a wider audience using customer experience and relations, all my lecturers as well as my peers were pivotal towards my overall University success.”

Since graduating, Will’s career has gone from strength to strength. His first job, as a social media executive, was exciting and varied and included marketing campaign analysis for any trends and then capitalising on those with any future campaigns. Will loved his job working with “many amazing and talented people” and developed a keen interest in customer relationship management (CRM). It soon became his specialist subject.

Today, he’s an Implementation Consultant at makepositive, a multi-award winning and bespoke consulting partner for Salesforce, which is the world’s leading CRM platform. Will said: “My role includes meeting directly with the client to understand and dissect their business processes. Becoming a part of the makepositive family was a no brainer for me as being involved in a job that encompasses your passion is definitely something we all strive for.”

Will’s fondest student memories are all about the people he met and friends he made at UCLan, many of whom he’s still in touch with. He said: “Whether they were fresh out of college, or a mature student with a family back home, everyone brought their own personal experiences and knowledge to the course and were an integral part when it came to everyone’s success," he remembers, "And, as part of the course, some of us went to China and presented to Chinese students and a member of the United Nations.”

Will’s final words are two pieces of equally important advice for every university student.  He said: “Never pass up a chance to speak with your lecturers, they want you to succeed and if they can play a part in that they won’t hesitate to help. Whether it’s uni related or not, they’re mentors and will be there for you. And for an awesome night out make sure you go to Warehouse Tuesdays or you’re doing it wrong."