“I can see the students appreciate it and I hope in some small way it encourages them to never stop dreaming.”

Kieran Breen (BSc Economics, 1990), Global Media Marketing and Distribution Consultant

Alumni speakers can have a lasting impact from the very first days of a student’s university experience. By sharing their journeys and experiences, they inspire confidence, spark ambition and demonstrate the opportunities that can lie ahead. Their stories and advice help students to feel part of a community that extends far beyond graduation, connecting them to generations of graduates who once sat in the same lecture theatres and faced the same questions about their future.

As a new academic year got underway, alumni volunteers played a central role in the Hull University Business School‘s programme of welcome activities for both new and returning students. Across a series of talks and events, graduates shared a wide range of experiences and insights, from exploring the role of humans in workplaces increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence to revealing how the marketing team behind Project Hail Mary helped bring one of the year’s biggest cinematic releases to audiences around the world.

Despite their varied careers and experiences, there was one message that united them all: the value of speaking to students who were sitting where they had once sat, beginning their own journeys and looking ahead to careers in business. For many of the volunteers, returning to campus was an opportunity not only to share professional insights, but also to give back to a university community that had played an important role in shaping their own lives and careers.

Our online ‘Good Morning HUBS’ sessions were spread across the week, with Maggie Sarfo (MBA, 2006), Founder and CEO of Meres Consult, kicking things off by discussing the role AI will play in the workplace students will be graduating into.

“It comes back to being human,” said Maggie. “It comes back to emotional intelligence. It comes back to understanding yourself better and understanding what you can bring to the mix. Understand yourself. What are your values and what makes you tick? If you apply these to the technical skills, such as prompting, these are the types of things that will be valued in the future. Being a student, now is the perfect time to experiment with that. Have something tangible you can point to and take with you into the world and show how you will bring your uniqueness to it.”

The week continued with James Rothwell (BA Logistics, Materials and Supply Chain Management, 2015), Head of Supply Chain at the Institute of Grocery Distribution, discussing the key skills employers value most.

“I’m humble about the fact that I don’t know everything,” James said, addressing the pressure many students feel to have all the answers. “Make sure that you are always open to learning opportunities. Show people you are hungry and want to do more, and are capable of doing more. Find opportunities to demonstrate those skill sets early on. Show them you are someone worth taking a chance on.”

Owen Rogers (BA Business Management and Accounting, 2020), Category Manager at Kellanova, delivered the final online session, discussing how businesses use data, insights, technology and human judgement not just to react to change, but to anticipate it, understand trends, identify opportunities and make better decisions.

“Many people can analyse data,” Owen said, “but very, very few can tell a compelling story with that data. The very best businesses that I work with use data to shape future insight and tell stories in a compelling way. What I learned at university is that data is everything and understanding it is key. What I learned in business is that using data to tell a story is crucial.”

The week culminated in a special Hull to Hollywood event exploring the business behind Project Hail Mary with former 20th Century Fox International Marketing Director Kieran Breen (BSc Economics, 1990). The session concluded with an exclusive screening of Project Hail Mary, complete with popcorn.

Reflecting on his return to the University, Kieran said:

“It’s always a pleasure to return to Hull and meet the students and staff. I have nothing but fond memories of my time at Hull and believe it was pivotal in my career story. That’s why I always make the effort to come back and participate. I can see the students appreciate it and I hope in some small way it encourages them to never stop dreaming.”

His words capture the spirit of alumni volunteering: sharing experiences, opening doors, and inspiring the next generation to imagine what they can achieve.

From discussions on the future of AI and the skills employers value most, to insights from the global film industry, each volunteer helped show students the many different paths a Hull degree can lead to. Their willingness to share their time, expertise and experiences helped create a memorable start to the academic year and demonstrated the strength of the University’s alumni community.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped give our new and returning students such a special welcome to the University of Hull.