Want to progress in your career? Build your ‘curiosity muscle’, according to Natalie Campbell, Chancellor of Westminster University and Stonehage Fleming UK Advisory Board Member. “As you begin your career, moving through different workplaces, work out what gives you joy,” she told a group of students at a Chancellor’s Circle event at our London offices this week. “Each role will bring new experiences. Absorb them and use them to set yourself up for your next move.”
Following her installation as Chancellor of the University of Westminster, one of Natalie’s first initiatives was to establish the Chancellor’s Circle, a collection of businesses and associations that have agreed to provide students with practical support through mentoring, internships and work experience. Stonehage Fleming is proud to be one of 12 founding members.
Natalie was joined by several of the Stonehage Fleming team at the event to support young people studying in our community at an academic institution which prides itself on diversity and inclusivity. 51% of undergraduates are the first generation in their families to go to university and 64% are from BAME backgrounds.
Natalie highlighted the importance of embarking on a portfolio career in her days as a young graduate. “I had a full-time job but I put myself into other scenarios at the same time. The first board I sat on was the British Youth Council. It gave me an insight into the sorts of decisions facing a board within any organisation. The experience built my strategic muscle at a time when I was still relatively junior.”
A social entrepreneur, broadcaster, campaigner and Co-CEO of Belu Water, Natalie is a proud Londoner. Today, running as an independent candidate in the upcoming London mayoral elections, she promises to bring her ‘CEO approach’ to tackling the challenges facing the capital. She hails her formative working experiences for her career success. “I built my own pathway: having board roles, running my own businesses, dipping into many corporate worlds. All that is really what got me to where I am today. The key to being entrepreneurial is fostering curiosity. Don't leave gaps; fill them. Never stop learning.”