Julian Brimmers grew up in unassuming Straelen, Germany where he “yearned for the exciting stuff”. He went on to be a journalist, filmmaker and podcaster whose works have been published by the BBC, the Paris Review, and many more. For Julian, the path that led him there was all about “going through the stories”. Tune in to find out more.

Prof. Manuel Barcia’s first day of work at a museum archive changed his life forever. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he thought to himself. Tune in to find out what’s in the museum archives and how he journeyed from Cuban history to global history at Leeds.

Annette Lee started off as a receptionist before rising the ranks to be the Head of Press & Communications at 4AD, one of the world’s most respected indie record labels. Learn how Annette’s self-starting aptitude helped her to make the most out of the receptionist role as the only person of colour at the UK office, armed with her degree in Music Industry Management and Marketing.

You’ve probably visited museums, but have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in a museum? More specifically, being a museum curator? In this episode, Corinna Gardner shares her unique journey as a museum curator and how it’s like working at the V&A in London, the world’s leading museum of art and design.

Born in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning international broadcaster Dr Aleks Krotoski takes us through her journey of reinventing her own story. Shuffle with Dr Krotoski between the US and the UK — from being born to scientist parents, to her decision of studying “philosophical sciences” i.e. Psychology while pursuing her love for broadcasting.

Most of Cheah Wai Seng’s childhood memories revolved around what he did outside of school. Discover how these puzzles of life fit into his journey from childhood to his successful career in one of the world’s top management consulting firms today.

Cheah Wai Seng is the Southeast Asia Energy Lead for Accenture. He studied for a degree in Computer Systems Engineering at UMIST (now the University of Manchester). 

Since graduating, he has worked at Accenture in multiple roles in Malaysia and globally for more than 20 years. This includes a diverse range of industries, including government, postal, oil and gas, telecommunications, airlines, chemicals and mining. The postal expertise he helped develop was awarded a patent for which he is listed as an inventor. He plays a regional leadership role in Accenture, and is very proud to be able to bring the Malaysian story to the rest of the world.

Vinita Templeton disliked studying law and thought it was the most dreary thing ever. “I’d sooner pick up a novel than read a law book,” thought Vinita when she was studying her LLB in the UK. Little did she know that she would be Director of Immigration and Public Law at Duncan Lewis Cardiff office today. 

Vinita’s journey has been nothing short of serendipitous: tune in to this episode as we discover Vinita’s rich Kelantanese and Thai upbringing, her adventures in Camp America, Thailand, Nepal before settling in Swansea, Wales doing what she thought she had dreaded.

About Vinita Templeton:
Vinita Templeton is the Director of Immigration and Public Law at the Duncan Lewis Cardiff office. She specialises in a wide range of complex asylum, immigration and human rights matters, including cases involving vulnerable individuals such as victims of torture and human trafficking. 

Vinita is ranked as a Leading Individual in the 2019 edition of The Legal 500. Vinita frequently achieves success for clients in challenging cases where appeal rights had previously been exhausted. She has an excellent track record of turning around cases that have been deemed without merit. Due to strict legal aid rules, she often undertakes extensive pro bono work before being able to secure legal aid funding in these cases. Some of these cases have resulted in changes to Home Office Policy, such as the Home Office policy on Discretionary Leave for victims of trafficking and also changes to policy relating to ex armed-forces personnel. She has significant experience leading immigration appeal cases before the Upper Tribunal and the Higher Courts. She works closely with charity organisations in South Wales committed to helping asylum seekers.

Creativity—as author Shivani Sivagurunathan discovered for herself—was birthed out of the lack of activities and events in her quiet hometown in Port Dickson. Because she kept to herself mostly, she often invented creative activities of her own while burying herself in books. Tune in to discover how this successful Malaysian author and lecturer found her own writing voice from the age of eight.

Shivani Sivagurunathan’s first collection of short stories, Wildlife on Coal Island, was published by UPM Press in 2011 and republished by HarperCollins India in 2012. The Indian writer Tabish Khair, described the book as ‘R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi, turned into an island, meets Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book in this highly readable collection of stories by a new and distinctive voice from Malaysia’. 

Her short stories and poems have been published in numerous international journals including “Cha: An Asian Literary Magazine”, “Agenda”, “Construction Literary Magazine” and many others. Her first novel Yalpanam, published by Penguin-Random House Southeast Asia, is out in September 2021.

She’s currently working on a book of creative nonfiction essays as well as a collection of nature-based poems. She teaches creative writing and English Literature at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. When she’s not writing or teaching, she enjoys painting, spending time in nature and meditating.

Ever wondered what it is like to study at one of the most sought-after MBA programmes in the world at the University of Southampton? Listen in as Southampton MBA Director Professor Peter Rodgers shares about the programme and his journey from political science into the world of business.

Professor Peter Rodgers is a Professor of Strategy and International Management and MBA Director within Southampton Business School, University of Southampton. He gained a BA (Hons) degree in Social and Political Sciences from Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge and an MA and PhD from the Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University of Birmingham. His research interests focus on informality within state-business relations, non-market strategies and entrepreneurship and have published in leading journals such as Work, Employment and Society, Management Learning, Management International Review, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Public Management Review, Human Resource Management Review, Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Industrial Relations Journal and Global Networks. 

He is a fluent Russian speaker and have worked on and managed several large international collaborative research projects across the former Soviet Union and the Western Balkans, involving universities and a variety of different stakeholders. He continues to provide expert briefing advice to the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office on matters relating to the business environment in Ukraine.

What really is the value of a liberal arts degree? Associate Professor (Liberal Arts) at the University of Warwick, Dr Bryan Brazeau, has answers and questions for those of you considering a liberal arts degree.

Discover how the world can be your oyster with this degree and how it’s made Dr Bryan cross oceans and transformed his life.

Dr Bryan Brazeau is Associate Professor (Liberal Arts) at the University of Warwick, UK. Before joining the Warwick’s School for Cross-faculty Studies in 2017, Bryan was a Research Fellow in Italian Studies at Warwick on the project of Aristotelianism in the Italian Vernacular, funded by the European Research Council. He has taught all levels of Italian language and culture from the middle ages to present day, along with classical Greco-Roman epic poetry, medieval and renaissance French literature, early modern English epic, and renaissance Latin. He has also designed an introductory course to the Digital Humanities. Bryan has been passionate about interdisciplinary Liberal Arts education since his undergraduate degree at the Liberal Arts College of Concordia University in Montréal, Canada, where he was born and raised.  Qualifications:Ph.D.: Italian Studies (New York University, 2015)M.A.: Italian Studies (New York University, 2010)B.A.: Western Society and Culture: Liberal Arts College (Concordia University, Montréal, 2008)Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA). For more information:https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/schoolforcross-facultystudies/liberalarts/lapeople/bryanbrazeau/https://globuswarwick.com/2018/02/06/schools-of-athens-liberal-arts-and-global-challenges/

Feel free to email Dr Bryan Brazeau at [email protected]