Alumni

Jonny Ashman

Career Path: Affiliate Marketing Manager, Silverbean
Location: Sydney, New South Wales

2019: Start at Silverbean as a Junior Affiliate Marketing Exec in their placement intake. 2021: Promotion to Account Exec upon completion of my final year of University study whilst working part time at Silverbean. March 2022: Promotion to Affiliate Marketing Manager.

What are you doing now?

I am currently working as an Affiliate Marketing Manager as part of the Silverbean AU team, having moved to Sydney in May 2023 a year after I graduated from University. As part of my move across the globe, I was lucky enough to be able to transfer within the company, having already worked closely with the AU team across my 2 years with the business prior across the global delivery team.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

I wanted to move to Newcastle to experience a new lifestyle as I grew up in a small town in North Yorkshire. I was and still do play rugby, and so I wanted to combine my studies with a University that supported student athletes who still wanted to play sport at a high level whilst continuing with their studies. I'd heard great things about the city and wanted to see what being a student in Newcastle was all about and was lucky enough to meet people who I would consider my best friends in University.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

Personally, as a student/athlete I was busier than the average University student and my days were filled with both rugby, team gym sessions as well as the usual University lectures and seminars. My course was a mixture of lectures, workshops and team projects each semester which was great to gain a wide understanding of all aspects of business quite generally.

How connected was your course with industry?

My course had the option to do a placement/sandwich year between years 2 and 3, giving students the opportunity to go out into the industry and gain some real work experience, or study abroad. This, in turn, is how I landed my placement year as a Junior Affiliate Marketing Executive as Silverbean. The opportunity allowed me to land my first real job and gain valuable life experience that I had not previously had and I went back into third year considerably more driven and motivated whilst having picked up a huge amount of important skills that I was able to transfer into completing my final year of my course. Silverbean were happy to keep me on part time into my final year of study, which whilst being busy, was a fantastic opportunity for me to continue my education and professional development at the same time. I was able to finish University with 2 years of industry experience and that put me in a great position as a new grad. It was also a massive goal of mine to move to another country and to be able to make it work with Silverbean was something I'm very proud of but also very grateful for.

What advice would you give somebody who is considering studying at Northumbria?

I would absolutely recommend it for someone who is considering going to Northumbria University. I gained some of the most valuable experience of my life and formed life-long friendships at University, whilst experiencing the fun, challenging and priceless life experiences, learning how to balance academic and social commitments and ultimately have a great time.