Exetra: Changing Careers

Exetra, the recent alumni group, would like to invite you to their first event of 2017, Changing Careers. The evening will feature successful business people and public leaders who have changed their careers. They will speak about their experiences and share practical advice on how to change career and what employers are looking for, that you will be able to use in your own life.

The event, with drinks and nibbles provided, is being held at the Institute of Directors on Pall Mall, so join us for wine, advice and the chance to meet fellow Exeter graduates in London!

The full list of speakers is as follows: (full bios below)

Ian Hodges - Careers and Employability Manager, University of Exeter
John Lees - Career coach and strategist, business speaker, author of 12 Career and Personal Development Books
Mark Whatley - Legal Team at Chapman Ventilation Limited
Liz Butler - Chairman of Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust
Emma Rosen - Founder at 25before25

Cost: £10 per ticket. Please book via our online store.

Speaker Biographies:

Ian Hodges -  Careers and Employability Manager, University of Exeter

Ian manages the Careers Consultant team at the University of Exeter Careerzone. During his time at the University careers service, Ian has held other management positions and, as a careers practitioner, worked closely with students and graduates from all disciplines, and employers from every employment sector.
Prior to coming to the University, Ian worked in careers roles in schools, in a further education college and with unemployed young people in Hampshire.         

Elizabeth (“Liz”) Butler - FCA Chairman of Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust

Liz graduated from the University of Exeter in 1982, she is a self-employed Chartered Accountant, specialising in business start-ups. She worked for Price Waterhouse as an audit manager on a number of prestigious clients before starting her family. In addition to building up her practice she has a developed a portfolio of non-executive roles: currently Chairman Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust, Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and independent member of the Audit & Risk Committee of the General Medical Council. She is Chair of Governors of a local primary school and acts as treasurer for a number of local charities. She is also a founder member of the University of Exeter Alumnae Group.

Emma Rosen - Founder at 25before25

Emma quit the Civil Service Fast Stream and launched 25before25 in September 2016 - she is trying 25 careers before turning 25 through short term work experience, shadowing and just giving things a go.

The project aims to promote career fulfilment for all, and advocate for more diverse career education for young people. Overall, it hopes to inspire others to have the confidence to make a career change where they are unhappy, or simply don't want to settle for the status quo - whether that is students, recent graduates, mid-careerers or those considering retirement.

In so doing, it hopes to provide career clarity for others, question what we should expect from the workplace and help Emma learn more about herself somewhere along the way.

John Lees

John Lees is one of the UK's best known career strategists and has written 16 books that seek to help people in the world of work. John specialises in helping people make difficult decisions - difficult because they don't know what to do next, or because there are barriers in the way of change.

He is based in the UK but has delivered workshops in the USA, South Africa, Mauritius, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand and is a presenter at business conferences and consumer events.

He has also featured as a speaker at the world's largest international career conferences in the USA. His books have been translated into Arabic, Georgian, Polish Spanish and Japanese. John has written careers columns for Metro and People Management and thought leadership pieces for The Times and The Guardian.

John is a graduate of the universities of Cambridge, London and Liverpool.

Mark Whatley

Mark Whatley is a Public Relations Manager and Officer for the Royal Navy as well as a Lawyer for a law practice in Kent.

An ex-logistics officer of the Royal Navy, he formerly worked for three members of Parliament as Senior Caseworker, Parliamentary Assistant, and Office and Media Manager respectively, and also worked as a Manager for Help for Heroes.

Mark is graduate of the Britannia Royal Naval College, the Open University, and the University of Law.