Omar Clarke
Subject: BA Geography
Graduated: 2016
Place of work: Sia Partners
Position: Senior Consultant
What made you choose to study geography at the University?
As I went through secondary school and sixth form I came to the growing realisation the important role that climate change, diversifying the energy mix and water conservation would all have on my life and subsequent generations. This grew my foundational interest in the discipline.
I also was not yet ready to specialise on any particular subject and wanted to learn a range of contemporary and important topics; geography provided the grounds to do exactly this through its combination of physical, human and geo-spatial modules.
What skills did you acquire during this time?
On reflection, the main skill that I would say that I acquired was the ability to think critically about practically all matters – from writing my dissertation which sought to demonstrate how performative art 'The Notting Hill Carnival' which can sometimes be perceived as merely trivial and celebratory event is actually inherently political to understanding the spatial distribution of the global financial crisis and understanding the concentrated socio-demographics that the recession began in.
It also enhanced my ability to carry out thorough research using both quantitative and qualitative research methods in a deliberative and structured way which I still use on a day to day basis.
What are your fondest memories from your time at the school?
Probably the Berlin field course. It was a truly immersive course and what worked well is that prior to going to Berlin we had studied a range of topics about the history of the place which helped to ensure that when we attended we were focused on the work that we needed to carry out.
In addition to enjoying the way the course was structured I also felt this was a really good opportunity to spend a week with course mates and lecturers and build even greater bonds with them.
Where are you working now and what does the role involve?
I am a Management Consultant at a firm called Sia Partners. The role involves working with clients (I specialise in the Energy and Utility industry) and supporting them with strategic and operational challenges that they may have.
This has seen me working with a range of large energy and water companies; this has involved helping them with the creation of their five year business plans, supporting multi-million business transformations eg the creation of the world's non-household business market in April 2017 and driving operational improvement eg reviewing companies existing processes and identify ways that they can be improved. Overall, it is an immersive, fast-paced and varied environment.
What advice would you give to someone considering following a similar career path?
Build your network from early on. There's no such thing as too soon. Do extra-curricular activities that will demonstrate your interest in the field eg a relevant internship or getting involved in the relevant Nottingham Advantage Award modules.
Adopt a depth over breadth approach in applications ie target the select companies that you actually want to work for rather than spreading yourself thin by applying for too many.