Powered By Herts

Manjeet Ghataora OBE is a Wing Commanderin the RAF and the most senior Sikh serving in the British Armed Forces. A Herts aerospace engineering graduate, Manjeet has built an extraordinary career and is recognised for his outstanding outreach work, which he delivers to young people and communities in some of the most underrepresented areas of the country. In this episode, he discusses his time as a...

Job interviews are a vital part of the recruitment process but can be a daunting experience. However, with the proper insight and enough practice, anyone can ace them! Manoj Somaratne is the Lead Engineer in Durability and Robustness at JLR. He also facilitates JLR's close relationship with the University of Hertfordshire. Having worked in industry for several years, Manoj has experience with...

Dr Abigail Martin’s journey from scientist to Director began at the University of Hertfordshire. During her PhD, Abigail developed an innovative in-vitro human lung model to test the effects of inhaled chemicals and particles - offering a more ethical and reliable alternative to animal testing. Working under the supervision of Herts Professor Victoria Hutter, she built a working prototype. In 2019...

Inspired by classics like The Lion King, Hamid Ibrahim wanted to make his own mark on the creative industries. He came to Herts and completed a BA (Hons) Digital Animation degree in 2017 before joining the Moving Picture Company. There, he worked on blockbusters such as the live-action remakes of Dumbo and The Lion King.​ Hamid wanted to create stories inspired by African culture and history, whic...

Nicknamed 'The Bulldozer', rugby player Zainab Alema is known for her physical playstyle and breaking barriers. Throughout her career, the University of Hertfordshire graduate has paved the way for Black and Muslim women to get into the sport. She was the first person to play Premiership Women's Rugby wearing a hijab when she made her debut for Leicester Tigers and set up Studs in the...

During the first year of his BSc (Hons) Mathematics with Economics degree at Herts, Ben Spires suffered a near-fatal brain haemorrhage that left him unable to walk or talk. His recovery would take years, and he had four goals he wanted to achieve: return to university, get a job, play football and drive again. Doctors said it would be impossible for him to achieve all these goals. ​ But in 2022, B...

Studying in a different country is an exciting experience, but being away from home can be challenging too. Rida Shafqat embraced her time as an international student from Pakistan when she enrolled at the University of Hertfordshire in 2017. During her time at Herts, she became President of Hertfordshire Students’ Union, and she is now CEO of AR Consultants, an education consultancy based in the...

Climbing the Earth's highest mountain is a formidable challenge - even for the most experienced climber. Those scaling it are risking their lives. But at 17, Herts graduate Farida ElSharkawy did just that and became the youngest African to reach base camp. Farida had to battle her mind and body to complete this fantastic achievement. She sat down with Bre to talk about the harrowing but triump...

Raphael Sofoluke is an impressive businessman. A few years after graduating from Herts, Raphael founded the UK Black Business Show and UK Black Business Week to champion fellow Black entrepreneurs and showcase talent from the Black community.  In 2020, Forbes named Raphael one of their 25 leading Black British businesspeople to follow, and he is now an Entrepreneur in Residence at Herts, where he...

Getting a graduate job can be tough; the job market is highly competitive and can be volatile. What can you do to stand out from the crowd? In this week’s episode, Bre is speaking to Jo Eaton, an expert from the University’s Careers and Employment Service, to find out what their top tips are for landing that first graduate role or progressing in your chosen career. You can follow the University of...

Herts graduate Dr Rachael Moses OBE knows a thing or two about leadership. She is a consultant physiotherapist who has held several senior positions in the NHS, and in that time, she has come to understand the importance of kindness and compassion in leadership. Bre sits down with Rachael to explore this and find out what good leadership looks like.

In 2016, Herts graduate James Lindsay faced one of his greatest challenges. He experienced a psychotic episode and was hospitalized for nearly a month. James has now released a new book, Befriending My Brain: A Psychosis Story , in which he talks about his recovery and how he overcame this dark period in his life. In this first episode of the Powered By Herts podcast, fellow graduate Bre McDermott...