upReach Impact Report - Flipbook - Page 7
Robbie is an upReach Alumnus who graduated in 2019. He works as a Consultant at Nous Group,
where he has advocated for and now leads a partnership with upReach.
It is a pleasure and a privilege to write on behalf of the 2019 graduates and
reflect upon my time as an upReach Associate, in addition to an
extraordinary two years since graduation. The pandemic has
disproportionately affected students and graduates from less-advantaged
backgrounds. We can all be thankful for upReach’s continued work
throughout this period to support students to achieve brilliant graduate
outcomes and inspired by the upReach Associates themselves for their
perseverance, tenacity and success during this time.
Robbie SaulGeorgel
Consultant at
Nous Group
No individual story can show upReach’s full impact. But I’ll share mine to
emphasise the value of being part of upReach and why I, and so many
others like me, continue to support its work.
I joined upReach as a Rise Associate in late 2015, shortly after starting at the University of Exeter.
The bespoke one-to-one support that my Programme Coordinator provided immediately struck
me. I knew that I was interested in banking, law or consulting but I didn’t have clear career
aspirations, a plan, or the contacts that could help me get a foot in the door.
My PC worked with me to identify my interests and how they aligned to different industries. We
then worked together to find opportunities, review my applications, and practise interviews. He
also encouraged me to pursue an industrial placement – a pivotal decision in my early career.
Ultimately, I secured professional experience every year of university: two spring insights, two
summer programmes, and my placement year at Deloitte. The help from my PC and the entire
upReach team was essential in achieving this. These experiences helped me realise I wanted to
pursue a career in consulting, and I was fortunate enough to graduate with three jobs offers.
But then, Covid. My opportunity to travel before starting my new role was cut short, and the start
of my graduate scheme was deferred by 9 months. I was not in a position to be unemployed for
that long, so I began searching for new opportunities. I continued to leverage upReach’s
resources, as well as attending the professional development sessions held over the summer to
support my applications.
It was the skills and confidence instilled throughout my time as an upReach Associate that
contributed most to me landing a job on Nous Group’s consulting graduate scheme in September
2020. At Nous I have been lucky enough to work on some highly impactful projects, and recently
had the incredible opportunity to take up a secondment in Toronto, Canada.
I continue to be passionate about upReach’s mission to provide opportunities to students from
less-advantaged backgrounds. When I joined Nous, I sensed an opportunity to develop a mutually
beneficial partnership with upReach. I pitched it to the leadership team who have been
enthusiastic in their support. We have since run a Careers Academy Session and had an upReach
Associate as an intern over the summer.
I am delighted that upReach continues to grow and support more Associates every year, and I
hope to be able to support and advocate for upReach’s work long into the future.
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