Alumni

Nicola Blackwell

Career Path: UK&I Area Director, Turnitin
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

I started out as a Sales Administrator when the Newcastle office had less than 20 staff, I soon became a team leader managing the new business UK&I team, focusing on secondary and further education new business across the UK and Europe. Now in my 10th year, the Newcastle office has over 140 staff and I manage both our new Business and Account managements teams for the UK&I market. Having studied business with marketing I always had a keen interest to work with go to market teams, influencing our business growth. Within my role, I work closely with Marketing to develop winning strategies to grow our market share, usage and maintain our customer base.

What are you doing now?

Managing our new business and account management representatives for the UK&I market.

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

I knew I wanted to stay local when studying, Northumbria's business school had just recently opened its state of the art building and I was keen to be a student in the city.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

I really enjoyed my time studying with a range of lectures, seminars and peer work. The lecturers were able to provide real life experience and provided some great feedback to help us all develop our abilities.

What was the best thing about your course?

The breadth of topics the were covered gave well rounded knowledge of various aspects of a business environment, allowing me to be a multi-skilled graduate with the ability to take numerous roles in a business environment.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals/ give your career an edge?

It allowed me to get a graduate job with the relevant academic base to develop quickly over my initial years in business.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

The facilities, staff and fellow students.

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

It is a great campus to study at right in the heart of the city centre. Newcastle provides a homely feel, it's super friendly whilst being a lively city. Many of my friends have stayed in the city after graduation because they loved it so much!