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Welcome to the Alumni Newsletter
June 2013
This month the Institute has some exciting news to share with all alumni. Earlier this month, the Institute received official notification that it is formally accredited by the British Accreditation Council and is now recognised as an Institute of Higher Education. This is a tremendous achievement for the Institute, particularly for those staff directly involved in the accreditation process.
Aside from this, the MI alumni are continuing to reach new heights. For instance, we have a special feature on a New York Programme alum who has just spent the last two and a half years working for the British Antarctic Survey in Antarctica. It is a hugely motivational story and one we know you will enjoy reading. In addition, this issue includes the story of an alum who has just launched her own company in Austria, an alum participating in a fundraising cycle ride alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins, and two other alums who have offers to share with the Mountbatten alumni. Our jobs section spotlights Twitter, an organisation that is currently expanding and recruiting for a whole variety of roles.
Finally, we are holding a Summer Softball Tournament on Saturday 20th July from 3-5pm near Canary Wharf. We need teams of 8 to get together and come and play against current London Programme interns and Mountbatten staff. If you can't make a full team, we will help. Full details will follow shortly, but in the meantime, please contact Vicki McCordall.
Entrepreneurial Alumni
 Julia Mende (September 2006 - New York) just recently launched her own company PRESUP Professional Expat Support, in order to assist expatriates moving to Vienna with all matters relating to getting settled and building a social network in the city. As the daughter and granddaughter of expatriates, Julia experienced cultural diversity from a very young age and broadened her horizons during various long term stays abroad while studying and working. She has lived in Beijing, Costa Rica, Mexico, Milan, Paris and most importantly New York, where the Mountbatten Programme gave her the opportunity to learn more about the American way of life and business environment, as well as American culture. The time abroad also gave her an insight into life as an expat and the obstacles one has to overcome.
The new enterprise PRESUP will primarily target expatriates coming from English and Spanish speaking countries, so Julia can assist them in their mother tongue while her business partner Jelena Milenovic will deal with customers from Eastern Europe. PRESUP's services range from conventional relocation services like removal assistance and home search, guidance with schooling, bureaucratic procedures, and spousal support, to monthly expat events and meetings in Vienna, and tailor made solutions for each customer. A special emphasis is put on the successful and sustainable social integration of each customer which is of major importance to both the expats and their employers. For further information can be found on www.presup.at and on facebook.
We wish Julia well with her business and look forward to receiving an update in a future issue.
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Alum of the Month
Chris Holman
August 2007 - London
"My sponsor company was a startup tech company that catered to the IT services industry in the UK... I quickly accumulated a fair amount of responsibility and managed some of the company's largest accounts. I learned a lot about running a growing business and was actively involved in a number of different areas."
Read full story.
Reunion in Dublin
On Tuesday 11th June, a group of alumni got together for a Mountbatten reunion in Dublin. All agreed that the Market Bar venue was spot on, and mostly everyone spent the evening reminiscing and sharing stories of their time in New York. It was a bonus that an alum who works at Twitter attended and encouraged alumni applications for the many positions available within the company at present. Check them out on our alumni website.
Special thanks go to Ann Claire Nolan (March 2009 - New York) for all her help in organising the event, and Gareth Marchant (Admissions Manager - New York Programme) for flying the flag for Mountbatten.
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Antarctic Alumni
Emma Philpott (January 2001 - New York) recently contacted us to give an update on what she has been doing post programme. We are sure you will agree that such a unique experience deserved a spot all of its own on our alumni newsletter.
Emma has just returned from Antarctica where she has spent two and a half years working for the British Antarctic Survey. In Emma's words, "what an amazing experience that was. Mountbatten helped me realise it is a small world and you can set your sights anywhere if you work hard enough. If you'd ask me when I graduated university in 1998 if a couple of years after that I'd be working in New York, and following that I'd be living on one of the remotest and coldest destinations on the planet, there is no way I would have believed it!
It was a friend of mine who showed me the job article for the British Antractic Survey (BAS) who were advertising for a Communications and IT Manager for a 2 year position at one of their research stations. Seeing this article immediately rekindled my passion travelling to Antarctica I'd had while at University. I had always thought it was only scientists who got to travel south to the continent. It never occured to me non-scientist would also be required to support the base and each year the BAS employed a whole host of chefs, plumbers, electricians, generator mechanics, field assistants and communications manager to support the scientists and keep the base running.
I applied in Easter of 2010 and had an interview within a month... It was explained to me in great detail that living in the Antarctic is not for the faint-hearted. There would be few people based on the base during the winter months; the accommodation would be cramped; there were few medical resources should you fall ill; no fresh produce such as milk, eggs or fruit; 105 days would be spent living in total darkness; water had to be melted by snow blocks which had to be dug twice a day; and, travel off the frozen continent during winter was all but impossible. Oh yes, and the obvious - 60°C tempratures and 40 knot winds." Read full story and photos.
Fundraising Alumni
 Jonny Hough (January 1999 - New York) is completing the Ride London 100 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSHCC) on 4th August 2013. The hospital is dedicated to children's healthcare and finding new ways to treat childhood illnesses. View Jonny's sponsorship page and contribute to a really worthwhile cause. Jonny hopes to meet (though no hope of beating!) Sir Bradley Wiggins whilst doing this cycling challenge. Jonny and his wife Claire Collins (New York - January 1999) are also expecting their second child any day now, so we would all like to wish them both the very best of luck with the birth of their baby, as well as Jonny's charity cycle ride.
Alumni Offers
Michael Boyle (September 2009 - New York), a style conscious alum has recently taken a global marketing position with T.M. Lewin in London, and is happy to inform us that the company is currently offering all Mountbattens a 10% discount on hand-finished shirts, Merino wool suits, silk ties and more. Simply enter TMLMTB at the online check-out to redeem this offer before 11:59 GMT on Monday 1st July 2013.
Helen Nalls (nee Monney) (September 2009 - New York) has recently moved back to NY and is currently employed as a Travel Consultant at Liberty Travel. She is keen to assist fellow alumni who are looking to plan vacations/honeymoons/destination weddings. In addition, she would like to work with current Mountbattens who want to make the most of their time in the States, but who are also budget minded. Get in touch with Helen: nallsh@libertytravel.com.
Jobs
This month we would like to draw your attention to Twitter. The company is in a growth phase at present and the main challenge they have is finding qualified staff. There are a number of roles they are currently recruiting for in London and New York, as well as other European and American cities. You can check these out via our alumni website.
Alumni Committee Updates & Announcement
To get in contact with the Alumni Committee regarding newsletter content, events, or any other business we can help you with, please don't hesitate to contact us.
email: vmccordall@mountbatten.org
web: http://alumni.mountbatten.org |