I studied at Northumbria University for my LLB Honours degree. My
course started in 1989 at the ‘mature’ age of 21, and I graduated with
a 2:1 in 1994. I studied part-time – 2 evenings per week, worked
full time at the same time and my daughter was born in the middle of
this in 1993. Talk about giving myself a hard time!
I enjoyed studying at Northumbria University very much – at that time
it was difficult to study part-time unless you chose a distance course,
but I wanted real lecturers and face to face teaching. Northumbria fit
the bill perfectly. The lecturers treated the part-time students
exactly as if we were full time, and expected the same dedication and
hard work. The University itself was also very centrally placed in
Newcastle, and had a vibrant atmosphere.
The lecturers were extremely knowledgeable and also prepared to help
and advise us. Many of the students on my course had not undertaken any
formal education for many years, and the advice that was given on exam
style was invaluable, as was their feedback on our course work.
Although I studied law, I did not want to become a solicitor – I was
interested in law and also business. Over the period of study I
was working for the Civil Service and managed to obtain 2 promotions. I
know that the fact of studying and trying to better myself was one of
the prime reasons I aimed for and obtained the promotions.
Following graduation I joined a bank as a graduate trainee, and went on
to various management roles with the bank and also took another degree
(distance learning this time) in Financial Services and was lucky to
obtain a 1st class.
In 1997 my family and I moved to the Isle of Man where I worked in
compliance for the Manx subsidiaries of two large banks and eventually
I obtained my current position with the Isle of Man Financial
Supervision Commission – the financial regulator. My role is Head
of Policy & Legal Division, which draws heavily on both the law and
finance elements of my study. I love the job which involves not only
developing regulatory policy but also implementing it, even down to
drafting my own secondary legislation and taking it through the two
branches of Tynwald (the Island’s parliament). What I learned at
Northumbria is put to practical use every single day in this role, and
I’m very happy here, and would not be here if not for Northumbria
University.
