World of work in conversation at free University events

The world of work will be in conversation at a brand new series of lectures hosted by the University of Chester and featuring business leaders from the region.

The free series, presented by the University’s Faculty of Science, Business and Enterprise, launches on Friday (July 14) with Davinder Lotay, Managing Director of Altimex, and Tony Miles, Vice Chairman of the Archwood Consultancy Group, discussing their experiences and work with Business School lecturers, Dr Henry Sidsaph and Fran Shollo.

All the lectures in the series run from 12.30pm to 1.30pm, at Churchill House, Queen’s Park, the home of Chester Business School.

Davinder will talk about his role as Managing Director of Altimex, an award-winning, well-established UK electronics manufacturer, fibre optics solutions company and lighting specialist.

He will also share why he is passionate about STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Davinder works to inspire the younger generation as a STEM ambassador and through further voluntary activities.

Tony is currently Vice Chairman of the family-owned Archwood Group, the company behind Richard Burbidge, Masons Timber, Atkinson & Kirby and the bespoke manufacturing of mouldings, and also runs a consultancy business.

He will explore his career, joining International Timber, a national timber importer, in 1979 as a management trainee, and becoming a director of the company and then Managing Director in 2007. In 2017 he left International Timber to join the Archwood Group and transfer the skills-base he had built to a Small-to-Medium-Sized Enterprise. Tony has also held several directorships in trade associations and is a member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining.

The World of Work (WOW) series then continues on Thursday July 27 with James Brown in conversation, offering an introduction to consultancy.

James is a freelance management consultant, with a Master’s in Business Administration, and a former Director at Accenture Strategy & Consulting.

In this interactive workshop, he will aim to challenge the audience’s perception of consulting, explaining why companies hire consultants, what the growth areas are, and what consulting life is really like. James will run an exercise to check whether the passions of people attending align with a career in management consulting.

Dr Henry Sidsaph, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Science, Business and Enterprise, said: “This series presents a variety of thinkers to inspire and provide unique insights into the world of work. All the events are free and everyone is welcome.”

Fran Shollo, Lecturer in the Faculty of Science, Business and Enterprise, added:

“We are very pleased to host these events, building on relationships with industry and adding to the student experience. This has been part of the student voice conversations for a while now; we are delighted to reflect this as part of our Faculty’s strategy in support of students’ needs, and to open up the lectures to the wider public. I am thrilled and look forward to the launch. Special thanks to our guest speakers who have been very generous with their knowledge and time.”

For further information about the events and to book free places, please visit here.