Neal Abdool

How did you come to choose this course, and why did you decide to study at Henley Business School?

‘I grew up around a family business, so I was by no means sure that I wanted to go to university at all, but when I discovered that I could do a course that recognised entrepreneurship, it ticked all the boxes.

‘I went to a number of open days, but the combination of the location, the facilities, Henley’s reputation and the way I easily engaged with the staff made it an easy decision to study here.’

You’re now in your third year of four – how has the course been so far?

‘So far it’s definitely lived up to expectations. The group work in the first year in particular gave me an opportunity to connect with other students and staff, and the work we did on building business cases gave me some really interesting ideas.

‘Probably the most exciting thing for me has been being President of the Entrepreneurship Society. As well as bringing in a wide variety of people from other courses and backgrounds, it’s pushed me to get involved in negotiating sponsorship deals with external companies, and I know that experience will be invaluable in the future.’

And tell us about your placement?

‘The Henley Careers team put on a careers fair, and amongst the various people I met were some from an HR company called Fairsail, although they’ve since been re-branded as Sage People. I went to visit them, and ended up being offered a role as a Sales Development Rep, and that’s where I am now.

‘It’s a very interesting and challenging role, involving lots of cold calling, but I can tell that I’m really benefiting from learning how to communicate more effectively with people, and finding which strategies work best to engage with them. So at the moment I’m supporting a whole team of account executives, researching and generating leads for them, but at some point I’ll move into different areas of the business – retention, marketing, operations – to get a feel for those areas.

‘Then it’s back to university for my final year, and then… who knows?! Maybe an account executive role here at Sage People, or maybe another graduate role.’

So finally, what advice would you give to anyone considering this kind of course?

‘Go for it! Take advantage of all the support and free advice available here. Join the Entrepreneurship Society, speak to the Business Angels, visit the Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship, talk to the Careers Team. Don’t say no to anything!’