Events

Lobbying and Public Affairs Alumni Panel

This event brings together an exciting panel of Exeter alumni who will talk about their careers in lobbying and public affairs. After they have each spoken about their experiences there will be time for Q&A - don't miss out on the opportunity to ask them all you might want to know about working in lobbying and public affairs.

Event details

Confirmed speakers:

Thomas Reynolds - Head of Governmental & External Relations, The MDU

Tom is a Politics graduate (class of 2012). On leaving Exeter, he interned for two charities in Birmingham; helping to run the Support Through Court unit at Birmingham Family Court, as well as interning as a policy researcher for the children’s charity, Barnardo’s. In 2013 Tom was offered a job as a Parliamentary Assistant in the House of Commons. Having spent 18 months in that role, he moved to the Medical Protection Society (MPS) – a global, not-for-profit membership organisation, defending the professional and legal interests of healthcare workers. He spent six years at MPS; starting out as a Public Affairs & Policy Officer, Tom progressed to become Public Affairs & Policy Manager. In August 2020, he was recruited by the Medical Defence Union (MDU) to lead their department dedicated to policy formulation and stakeholder engagement, as Head of Governmental & External Relations. In addition to his day-job, Tom is also a magistrate for the City of London.

David Thompson - Head of Political Affairs, British Council

David currently leads the Political Affairs team at the British Council, the UK's organisation for international cultural relations, delivering the organisation's strategic engagement in Parliament and across the wider political space. Prior to joining the Council, David led on funding policy for the Russell Group of universities, shaping their response to the Augar Review of post-18 education, following on from a five year stint working across various roles in Parliament. David has a degree in French from the University of Exeter.

Ellie Rose - Head of Flu Preparedness, Department of Health

Ellie Rose has spent 15 years in leadership positions in the voluntary and public sectors. After leaving Exeter University, Ellie worked for a number of large and small charities, building on her politics degree to develop an expertise in public affairs and campaigning. She then took this experience to the heart of government, where she has recently led work to deliver the UK’s biggest ever flu vaccination campaign as part of COVID winter preparedness.