Business Enterprise graduates
All BSc Business Enterprise students who have graduated since the first cohort in February 2008 have established their own businesses, been appointed to interesting jobs or have gone on to postgraduate study.
Interested in becoming a BBE student? Read what our graduates have had to say about their time at the University of Buckingham. To read more about experiences from our alumni, click on the graduates’ name to follow through to their BBE story:
Graduated 2014
“I came out with a 2:1 BSc Hons degree in Business Enterprise, a thriving eco-business, a brilliant mentor and set of contacts I will have for life.”
Graduated 2014
“Over the 2 years, it taught me how to balance and manage my workload including running a business but also preparing for exams etc. As a result, I believe these skills have stood me in good stead to enable my success in the workplace.”
Graduated 2014
“This course is amazing, but if you’re not interested in business at all, or you think you will make lots of money as soon as you graduate, I will not suggest you join this course, because you will be disappointed!”
Graduated 2013
“Buckingham has the highest lecturer-student ratio and lecturers are patient with students in both office and private hours. Therefore I had the opportunity to have close relationships with many of my lecturers in different subjects.”
Graduated 2013
“I found the course to be extremely insightful to the business world and it has provided me with a variety of skills that make me stand out amongst the crowd.”
Graduated 2012
“The BBE degree programme is certainly something that gave me the opportunity to get access to and acquire knowledge in every area which relates, not only to starting and running a business, but also to get a broad and general understanding about the world of entrepreneurship.”
Graduated 2012
“Other than all the obvious academic benefits and memories, the BBE has taught me how to maximise the work-life balance, and equipped me with tools to handle any challenge.”
Graduated 2011
“The breadth and depth of the BBE course modules provided a wealth of insight into how companies are both operationally and financially managed.”
Graduated 2010
“I gained a full knowledge and understanding of what it takes to plan and implement the operation of a successful business. One of the things I appreciated most about the BBE programme was the opportunity to meet successful business owners.”
Graduated 2010
“This experience was incredibly valuable and whether I pursue a corporate career or take a more entrepreneurial path, my business education has been greatly enriched by my involvement with the BBE programme.”
Graduated 2010
“The Business School at the University of Buckingham gave me the opportunity and the support I needed to achieve my potential as an undergraduate student. The academic and support staff are a small and highly supportive team, who acted as an extended family to me.”
Graduated 2009
“Having studied on the Business Enterprise course at the University of Buckingham, I have learnt many principles key to progressing, in what some may call a career in risk-taking. However as I learnt on the course, it’s always good to gain some experience before going and doing it by yourself.“
Graduated 2008
“My BSc in Business Enterprise honours degree has given me all the skills, confidence and abilities to be successful. I am truly proud that I made the right decision to join this course.”
Graduated 2008
“My experience on the BSc Business Enterprise course has given me valuable insights into business, which have helped greatly in my accountancy training and work.”
- 1st cohort of BBE graduates from 2006-7
- 2nd cohort of BBE graduates from 2007-8
- 3rd cohort of BBE graduates from 2008-9
- 4th cohort of BBE graduates from 2009-10
- 5th cohort of BBE graduates from 2010-11
- 6th cohort of BBE graduates from 2011-12
- 7th cohort of BBE graduates from 2012-13
- 8th cohort of BBE graduates from 2013-14
2006-7 1st cohort
Here is some information about the first cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2006-2007), provided by themselves.
2007-8 2nd cohort
Here is some information about the second cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2007-2008), provided by themselves.
Andreas Hampel (Austrian)
Tom Foddy (British)
Sailendra Thulasidharan (Indian)
2008-9 3rd cohort
Here is some information about the third cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2008-2009), provided by themselves.
Sebastian Musil (British)
If not for Buckingham, I would not have had the public speaking, presentation and tenacity necessary to work with such a company. Though my title was Corporate Sales Executive, I still remained an entrepreneur and pioneered the company’s online presence, by creating its first online retail site. At this point, I would like to thank James Rowell, my operations management teacher, as my work required a lot of warehouse and process management skills. The site now serves more than 21 countries with authentic BlackBerry Accessories.
After work, as planned, for a year, I decided to pursue my entrepreneurial streak and identify new areas of business, especially within the Tablet PC market. I have been able to retain some of my work with Z-Three, as my own business’s first contract is to continue to administer various online elements of Z-Three’s website.
2009-10 4th cohort
Here is some information about the fourth cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2009-10), provided by themselves.
Rumbidzai Kunzekweguta (Zimbabwean)
I have a keen interest in the Health and Beauty field and I was awarded the opportunity to work with the Health and Wellness team on the UoB campus led by Stefan Ridley. This experience, coupled with the support of my lecturers, helped me to discover my niche market in another place in the Health and Beauty industry.
After I graduated in 2010, I decided to gain more experience in the Health and Beauty industry. I was hired by STEINER PLC the leading spa providers on cruise ships around the world. Currently, I am an intern at a company called Ziminx in my home country of Zimbabwe. This is a manufacturing company that has withstood one of the harshest economic climates in the world and I feel I have a lot to learn here especially if I am going to set up a business here.
I have started planning my own hair care brand for afro hair. My experience with the BBE programme taught me lessons that will always remain with me. Firstly to make sure your business is solving a real problem for a specific target audience. Secondly and most importantly, have an unwavering passion for your business that will not only inspire you to persevere in the production of quality when times are tough but also inspire others to believe in what you are selling.
Having graduated in Feb 2011, I decided that I was going to concentrate on gaining more Professional Financial qualifications and I have also enrolled in a master’s course in Investment and Risk Finance. The BBE programme truly helped me focus my strengths and desires towards a successful and fitting entrepreneurial path – a maturity I could never have gained without such incredible people that I met at Buckingham. I recently started Search Funders International, a vibrant global body dedicated to an optimistic future for Pan-emerging markets investments opportunities.
Entrepreneurs are ‘enablers’ of growth who help break down economic barriers and social constraints. This experience was incredibly valuable and whether I pursue a corporate career or take a more entrepreneurial path, my business education has been greatly enriched by my involvement with the BBE programme.
Read about Sean’s new projects: The Founders Hive (fuelling start-ups and empowering entrepreneurs) and Sobek Ventures (focusing on corporate ventures in Africa).
The practical nature of the BSc Business Enterprise programme means that you get many chances to try new things, to fail at them in a safe arena and to keep trying until you fine tune some key skills that will make you feel confident as you venture out into the real world. The soft and hard skills I learnt and the content of the degree programme itself have been vital to my job as a Business Studies teacher in a challenging inner-city secondary school in London.
I had the determination and confidence to apply for a coveted position on the “Teach First Leadership Development Programme” and have had to manage my time and the support available, to take immediate responsibility for teaching Year 9s, Year 10s, Year 11s and Year 13s; for completing assignments / tasks to achieve QTS and a Masters Level PGCE from the Institute of Education; attending required leadership training and workshops from Teach First; while still being a mommy to my son (whom I had in my final year at Buckingham) and a wife to my husband (whom I met on the BBE programme at Buckingham).
I have no doubt that the University of Buckingham, the Business School and the BSc Business Enterprise programme can equip you with the abilities and knowledge that can change your life. Come open minded and ready for new experiences!
Konstantin Pysarenko (Ukrainian)
The BSc Business Enterprise (BBE) programme helped me a lot in developing my management skills, business knowledge, communication skills and business ethics. BBE also helped and continues to help me to run my businesses in Ukraine and Nigeria.
I am also a certified PRINCE2 practitioner and a certified M_o_R practitioner, the BBE programme certainly helped me succeed in these two additional qualifications. Finally, I am a professional show jumper and have competed in the European Championships twice, though I can’t say that BBE helped me with this!!
2010-11 5th cohort
Here is some information about the fifth cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2010-2011), provided by themselves.
The breadth and depth of the BBE course modules provided a wealth of insight into how companies are both operationally and financially managed, with coursework ranging from risks in business to marketing to company law to business ethics… and much else besides. The hands-on nature of the course (a business is run whilst studying) made for a highly challenging yet extremely fulfilling two years of study with lectures and tutorials skilfully delivered by the Business School’s excellent and supportive academic staff.
Upon leaving the University with a first class honours degree I joined the board of Trident Energy, a UK marine energy company. I continue to trade equities in both main and junior markets and in 2012 my first fiction novel Underdog was published by Macmillan.
I am also currently studying for a Master’s degree in Phytotherapy, Pharmacognosy and Alternative Medicine with a view to establishing a naturopathic and psychotherapeutic health centre with my wife Emma on our Buckinghamshire farm. Once our scientific studies are complete, the enterprise degree from Buckingham will be invaluable in helping us turn our business vision into a sustainable business reality.
2011-12 6th cohort
Here is some information about the sixth cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2011-2012), provided by themselves. More information about subsequent graduates will be published here.
Having a BSc (Hons) in Business Enterprise is definitely one of the best intellectual assets in my possession, after graduating in December 2012. The BBE degree programme is certainly something that gave me the opportunity to get access to and acquire knowledge in every area which relates, not only to starting and running a business, but also to get a broad and general understanding about the world of entrepreneurship. I am proud to say that I gained this knowledge while co-running an estate-letting agency as part of my degree.
After graduating from the University of Buckingham, I directly transferred for 3 months back to Switzerland where I re-joined the Swiss Army Infantry and continued my national service with a NATO officer’s rank of First Lieutenant. There I followed further training to operate as a company commander, which entailed the leading and educating of close to 200 people with 25 staff subordinates.
After 3 months, I developed a business, which I co-founded from scratch during my studies in Buckingham as a hobby and trial project (not BBE based), by winning three long-term exclusivity contracts, specialising in the online gaming industry with the aim to become an outsourcing contractor for major companies. The project was and is a great success. I can also confirm that this project was successful as a result of following close to 30 BBE modules and one major premise: “Starting a business with a lot of money is easy, but starting a business with passion and creativity is much cheaper.” (Adams N., 2011)
While negotiating contracts for the business, I was also given the opportunity to work for a global microsurgery foundation, which is one part of my family’s business. For one month I was working in a team of engineers and surgeons on a start-up distribution concept in the field of computer-aided technology/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) in Brisbane, Australia. I was again able to apply my training in business planning and operational management skills, which only the BBE course was able to give me.
Since September 2013, I have been a postgraduate master’s student at the University of St Andrews, studying international business.
Manjeave Singh Lotay (British)
Whilst in India it was as though everyone had this attitude to life, from rich to poor! I understood that this mentality is needed to become not only a successful entrepreneur but a successful person in other aspects of your life.
On my return, I always wanted to do some more charity work. Armed with my BBE knowledge and my JDI attitude I found a charity in which I felt I could make the most difference. The charity is called The Small Business Consultancy. It is a social enterprise that inspires people from hard-to-reach and marginalised backgrounds to become successful and thrive through progressing toward employment and self-employment.
For this charity I acted as a mentor or consultant to a group of young adults, acting as a “Nigel Adams – lite”. But my greatest achievement was applying for the prestigious New Entrepreneurs Foundation Programme. The New Entrepreneurs Foundation is on a mission to find and develop the UK’s next generation of entrepreneurs. Each year, NEF selects up to 30 of the UK’s brightest, most entrepreneurially minded people to join their unique year-long paid programme.
I just missed out on a place on the programme, having reached the final 35 out of a possible 30 places! Even though I was gutted, the plus point was that a marketing head from Ogilvy liked me and offered me an internship placement at Coley Porter Bell (CPB), the branding arm of Ogilvy. CPB is a leading strategic branding consultancy, part of WPP and the Ogilvy group and my core responsibilities there included:
- Researching & analysing companies’ reports and industry publications to spot branding needs along with industry trends.
- Supporting client services with account management tasks & pitches.
- Visual Planning™ and liaising with our creative services team to design or update our marketing materials.
- Creating a campaign to send to clients/prospects to create awareness & corporate identity.
Some of the iconic brands we worked with include Coca-Cola, Coutts Bank, Nestlé and Unilever.
Now I am working for a company called Endpoint, a small organisation punching well above its weight … and ultimately succeeding. They have based their success on employing ‘the best’ from their fields. By doing this they have won key accounts including 02 Entertainment and most impressively being awarded the way-finding strategy contract for Masdar City in Abu Dhabi!
I’m currently an assistant project manager for Endpoint working with a senior project manager who was one of the heads in the Olympic Deliverance Team for London 2012. One of our current projects is the Ernest Young (EY brand re-launch) and Wembley Park Development with Quintain.
Academically I am continuing to study towards my Chartered Institute of Marketing Post-Graduate Diploma and my Diploma in Communications (CAM) with the aim to complete both by mid-2014.
I am also partnered up with a media company specialising in 3D animation and 3D modelling. So if anyone ever needs anything along those lines feel free to contact me.
I am currently working for PWC Saudi Arabia, in the Deals Department, specifically Mergers and Acquisitions. Our job is to make the story of buying or selling a company as clear as possible to the interested party. Our roles include (and are not limited to) financial due diligence, evaluations and the all-important business plans.
Other than all the obvious academic benefits and memories, the BBE has taught me how to maximise the work-life balance and equipped me with the tools to handle any challenge. I plan to do an MBA in Sports, enabling me to combine my business attributes with my love for sports.
Straight after receiving my honours degree, I decided not to put myself further into debt and as such decided not continue in further education but to get myself a job as soon as possible and save enough money to finally leave home and expand my own business ideas. Unfortunately with an economy in recession and literally hundreds of people applying for each place, finding a job proved to be a job in itself.
Studying carefully the banking industry, its monetary policy based on the fractional reserve system, I tried to find a job within the investment banking sector, where I could combine my own personal interest in saving money from inflation by purchasing the right type of investment products while taking the best advantage of my own analytical skills and economic knowledge. Finally after a year of running from one temporary job to another across the UK, I found myself a placement at Skandia in Southampton where for the next 6 months I will be gaining experience as a Financial Data Administrator and hopefully after that period of time will be offered a permanent position with the investment funds sector, which is the ultimate career development I wish to make.
2012-13 7th cohort
Here is some information about the seventh cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2012-2013), provided by themselves.
First, Buckingham has the highest lecturer-student ratio and lecturers are patient with students in both office and private hours. Therefore I had the opportunity to have close relationships with many of my lecturers in different subjects. Nigel Adams is the perfect example, he was not only my Programme Director and lecturer who empowered me with knowledge, but also my mentor and friend who helped me with my personal life and gave me advice even after my graduation.
The second aspect is the design of the programme. Although I graduated with a First Class Honours Degree, the most valuable skills I learned at Buckingham were the transferable skills, such as time management, working under pressure and out of my comfort zone, communication with a diverse team and fast learning. These transferable skills enabled me to self-study and successfully pass ACCA exams during holidays and also my Master’s degree. Although MSc Management at Cass Business School was said to be one of the most complicated programmes in the UK, as there are 20 modules in 1 year, I coped with it very well. In the meanwhile, I received an offer to study for a PhD in Strategy from Warwick Business School from Autumn 2015 and this could be my next challenge.
Apart from academic and personal development, I have lovely and sweet memories of my time at Buckingham because I met my adorable fiancée there, without her encouragement, I could never have achieved what I have achieved.
All in all, Buckingham is such a nice place to study; you will find a peaceful place, friendly, effective and efficient staff. I hope you will enjoy your time here.
Tim Kertscher (German)
The short thing about me: I have previous experience in setting up a business but none of it was to do with technology or the web itself. The businesses I co-founded were an importing business (Easy Import Ltd) and the other was an events business where I was the right hand and principally coordinator for my friend Dan.
Now to the project that this all is turning around on LinQfish! LinQfish is a business I set up to help international students settle in better in Germany and other European countries by creating incentives for every student to act upon requests of other, fellow students needing help with settling in a new environment.
Don’t be discouraged, and keep your head up and remember: Everything that you presume as something bad ALWAYS has a bright side to it, you just go to find out what it is!
Amelia Tran (Vietnamese)
After leaving the university in 2014, I worked at a mechanical and electrical company in Vietnam. Our majors were to install and commission M&E construction for building and resort. My role mainly involved in bidding and procurement. It seemed to be a good job for me in terms of a well-paid salary and open-minded experience. However, I did not feel right and satisfied with the way the business was run, with not enough responsibility for the jobs they did and for their – or maybe it is my problem that I can not compromise with non-transparency. I resigned to follow my belief: “One day, I and my team will contribute to creating good, honest and high-quality products”. It would be a good blend of 4 elements, related to our daily life relationship: nature, society, family and health. We believe that our products would survive, sustain and make their marks in life only when we care for those elements. We plan for 5 to 10 years. Until now, our product lines are: eco-friendly IT accessories; cultural gifts made of Vietnamese traditional resources; LIK family games: customers make useful furniture and things from our provision of wooden blocks; PODU: rattan bike developed from a concept of if we stand together like a bunch of chopsticks, no difficulties can break us. It could be a long journey, but, enjoy the road and we will get there.
My mom gave birth to me when she was a student at the University of Buckingham in 2013, I am 2 years old now. Before her last exam, she sent me back to Vietnam so my grandparents could take care of me. I lived with them in a beautiful city with a long beach named Nha Trang for a year while she was working in Ho Chi Minh City. When she quit her job, she brought me back to stay with her and we have had more time together. My dad and my mom really love me, and because I was a good boy at school, I get lots of biscuit and ice-cream. Our house was made from wooden blocks, I played wood with my dad most of the time. I even help my mom to water our balcony garden. Sometimes, I help my dad sanding the furniture to ship to many places. I love swimming, football and balloons. I hope one day I could go back to Buckingham and visit my aunties, uncles and grandparents. Love you all!
2013-14 8th cohort
Here is some information about the latest cohort of BSc Business Enterprise graduates (2013-2014), provided by themselves.
Life seems so different now, I work as a Business Development Director with my father for his environmental business (go-figure) working with renewable energy, which I’m currently helping to rebrand – fitting really for the one who came up with ‘Squeaky Green.’
As for Squeaky Green, the business is still going – don’t worry. I’m just redeveloping at the moment.
I never miss an opportunity… And will always look for them. If you’re like-minded, that’s my one piece of gold-dust advice. Take a chance. Life’s full of risks, and the risk takers live fuller and more colourful lives.
Being your own boss is one of the most stressful but fulfilling things you can do in life. Apart from having kids… but that’s on my bucket list. I’m only 21 after all.
I was one of the youngest ever BBEs and this in itself brought challenges. More so that I was one of two girls in the class of 15 guys – most of whom were older than me. The business world is dominated by mature males, but there’s something so powerful about popping a dove among the pigeons.
My advice to someone in a similar situation or generally just feeling out of place is use this to your advantage. Outcasts thrive because they go against the grain. Just think of the ‘in person or trend’ as an annoying little sibling, because in the end – that’s what they all turn into. Be the next big thing. Pre-empt and repeat. Don’t let the small things hold you back and take a chance when you see it, you never know where it may take you.
That’s what I did two years ago, and I did okay. I came out with a 2:1 BSc Hons degree in Business Enterprise, a thriving eco-business, a brilliant mentor and set of contacts I will have for life. I won an entrepreneurship prize, I have more clarity in my thinking, it made me have so much more respect for business and I now understand accounting – something for someone who sucked at maths at school and I’m really proud of that and all in two years people!
The rest is yet to be written, and you know what, I can’t wait to read the next chapter.
Gary Higson graduated from Buckingham with a BSc. He loves to innovate and is now putting it into good practice as a Project Manager at Xen Consultants, experts in B2B Telemarketing http://xenconsultants.co.uk.
I believe that having the BBE programme on my CV was great, in terms of standing out from the thousands of other undergraduates searching for that one job. The BBE programme allowed me to add on to my existing business skills which came from running an online chocolate business: www.bacichocolate.co.uk.
Overall deciding to join the BBE programme was definitely the best decision I have made as I met lots of friendly people who I might not have met elsewhere, and the skills and knowledge I have acquired from my time are now allowing me to plan for another future business down the line. I would absolutely recommend the Business Enterprise Degree to anyone who is looking to have a future in business and at the same time is looking for something different and unique.
After 2 years studying on the BBE course, I’ve learned lots of things, not only from the textbooks but also from the experience of running a business. It’s really helpful for my future entrepreneur journey. I’ve loved doing business since I was a kid. This course is amazing, but if you’re not interested in business at all, or you think you will make lots of money as soon as you graduate, I will not suggest you join this course, because you will be disappointed! I’m running my company in China right now. I have to say, the entrepreneur journey is a long and tough journey, be prepared for it!