Alan Rundle
Having enjoyed senior management roles with big names like Procter and Gamble, Levi Strauss and L'Oreal - as well as working in executive search for 20 years - Alan Rundle found his MA in Management at UWE shed new light on his career.
"I was intrigued by the thought of seeing my career from the outside looking in," reflects Alan. "And I thought a Master's would also give me the 'theoretical underpinning' to what I've been doing all these years."
So when UWE's leaflet came through Alan's letterbox, he decided to investigate.
Learning how to learn - again
In his late 50s, Alan was surprised at how his UWE experience reawakened his thirst for learning. "I think that was largely thanks to my superb lecturers - in particular my dissertation supervisor. I focused on executive coaching, which is closely linked to my career in executive search, and he was really inspiring and supportive."
A fortuitous meeting
It was while researching for his dissertation that Alan met Richard Skipp, someone who was about to take his career in an interesting new direction. Richard had spent over 20 years in senior people development and general HR roles, and he and Alan got chatting. "We hit it off straight away," says Alan.
Alan and Richard recently decided to form a partnership that would help them both take advantage of the current uncertainty in the executive recruitment market as well as help companies in the current economic downturn.
"By talking to Richard, I came to realise that this year, the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, the phrase 'survival of the fittest' has a new resonance. For companies, that means having the right people in the right roles. Hiring and developing key talent - and helping those who must move on leave with dignity and confidence - will ensure that strong businesses survive with their reputation enhanced". says Alan.
An unexpected bonus
So Alan's return to academia has brought him much more than letters after his name. "I was simply hoping for a different perspective on management that might help in my executive search business," he says. "As it turned out, I met a lot of interesting people, who've helped me get so much more out of it than that.
"So I definitely would recommend a Master's to anyone, at any age. If they get half of what I did out of it, it'll be worth every second!"
Page last updated 1 November 2011