Originally from Jersey, Kyle is now Marketing Manager for Australian bike brand Reid Bikes. Based at the company’s international head office in Poole, Kyle oversees web and social media content, digital campaigns and event attendance in 24 countries. The role has enabled him to stay locally yet work globally. Kyle said: “Bournemouth is a great place to be. Apart from the obvious attractions of the beach and surrounding area, it has a growing start-up community which makes for an independent, creative feel. I really enjoy working for a company which operates around the world. During my working day I can be in contact with colleagues and clients in South Korea in the morning and then with contacts in America and Canada by the afternoon. It all adds to the diversity and also requires you to tailor your approaches to suit the culture of each market.”
Since starting work, Kyle has been able to put many of the skills he developed on his degree into practice. He said: “The course was really practical. We would often work on projects set by local businesses, which were rooted in the challenges they were facing. This meant that you could always see the relevance of what you were learning and think about how to apply it in the real world. My placement year was also invaluable in giving me a solid experience of work. Many people coming out of university don’t have such an extensive work placement, so it really put me ahead.”
Kyle’s advice to other university students is to make the most of every opportunity to gain experience. He said: “Be productive and intentional with your time. Whether or not you have a sandwich year as part of your course, you will have long breaks over the summer and other times that you can use. Even if you don’t do work experience, you can build your skillset by learning about things like Google analytics or other relevant systems online.”
As part of BU’s alumni network, Kyle continues to maintain links with the university. This has included taking on a student to create a series of promotional films and expanding the team via internships.
