About the RateMyPlacement Team
The Co-Founders of RateMyPlacement.co.uk met in 2003 during that quiet, sober period of our lives known as Freshers Fortnight at Loughborough University.
Back then we were fresh faced teenagers with no idea what we wanted to do when we grew up. Perhaps going to Loughborough meant we could cling on to our dreams of becoming professional sportsmen! Well that didn’t work out…
…but four years later, we graduated from Loughborough with our degrees, aplacement year each and the start of an idea that we all now know and love – RateMyPlacement.co.uk…
Meet The Team:
Ali Lindsay – Co-founder
Age: 26
Hometown: Wargrave, nr. Reading; Berkshire
Degree & University: Accounting & Finance, Loughborough University
Placement & Internship Experience: Completed as 12 month placement with The Bank of England and a summer internship at Deutsche Bank
Key role within RateMyPlacement: Ali overseas our student marketing strategy whilst also focusing on developing new business ideas and extensions. He also, worryingly, looks after the finances.
Interests: Loves his egg chasing (rugby, in case you didn’t know) and also has “a real passion for eating.”
Favourite drink: Dr Pepper
Favourite biscuit: Milk Chocolate Hob-Nob
Interesting Fact: Ali once did a bungy jump in New Zealand with the key to his locker in his pocket. Unlike Ali, the key was not on an elastic band and he watched it plunge into Auckland harbour. They had to drill the lock to retrieve his passport, wallet and valuables.
Contact Ali: 0207 824 5245 | ali@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Oliver Sidwell – Co-founder
Age: 25
Hometown: Tring, Hertfordshire
Degree & University: Geography & Management, Loughborough University
Placement & Internship Experience: Did a 12 month industrial placement with Robert Bosch
Key role within RateMyPlacement: Oliver is in charge of new business development, working closely with employers and recruitment advertising agencies. The most organised of the RMP co-founders, he loves a spreadsheet. Is also our official office Fire Warden.
Interests: Cricket, football and most other sports (particularly darts)
Favourite drink: Peroni & tea. Lots of tea.
Favourite biscuit: Loves a Bourbon dipped in a cup of tea
Interesting Fact: Oliver once visited the Antarctic to indulge in his love of ice and penguins. Mainly penguins.
Contact Oliver: 0207 824 5246 | oliver@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Chris Wickson – Co-founder
Age: 26
Hometown: Nr. Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Degree & University: Management Science, Loughborough University
Placement & Internship Experience: 12 month Industrial Trainee at IBM
Key roles within RateMyPlacement: Works on existing & new business development and also oversees our website developments. More importantly, in charge of Health & Safety.
Interests: Watching & playing football, supporting Spurs, castles and the odd night out
Favourite drink: Ribena
Favourite biscuit: The Party Ring
Interesting Fact: Before starting university, Chris spent 7 months travelling around the world. In Australia, he did what must be one of the worst jobs in the world – cleaning the walls of a road tunnel leading into Sydney for a whole week, 8pm – 4am each night, for about £3 an hour. Good times.
Contact Chris: 0207 824 5244 | chris@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Cara Redford – Student Marketing Manager
Age: 25
Hometown: Bury, Lancashire
Degree & University: Advertising & Marketing Communications, University of Central Lancashire
Placement & Internship Experience: She undertook work experience within the Arcadia group, Luminar entertainment group and a range of smaller companies including Park Farm and the National Centre for Restorative Justice.
Key role within RateMyPlacement: Cara focuses on those all important students and looks at how best for us to engage each campus & placement/careers office around the country.
Favourite drink: Vodka, lime & lemonade
Favourite biscuit: Caramel Digestives
Interests: Enjoys travelling and exploring new cities, despite having the worst sense of direction. Loves shopping, going to the gym and keeping fit which allows her to indulge in her favourite food Mexican and Thai (Not at the same time of course!).
Contact Cara: 0207 824 5249 | cara@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Jo Munson – Online Digital Executive
Age: 23
Hometown: Norwich, Norfolk
Degree & University: Mathematics, University of Nottingham
Placement & Internship Experience: She undertook medical work experience in India and attended an “Insight Into Engineering” Scheme in Finland.
Key role within RateMyPlacement: Jo is our technical, design and web guru. She’s also the cleverest member of the team so frequently called on to settle any office debates.
Favourite drink: A glass of Rioja wouldn’t go amiss…
Favourite biscuit: Oatmeal & raisin cookies
Interests: Enjoys web/graphic design, watching great films, having a go (generally inadequately) at most sports, cooking, eating and pub quizzes!
Contact Jo at: joanna@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Lizzie Brock – Student Marketing Co-ordinator
Age: 23
Hometown: East Grinstead, West Sussex
Degree & University: Business & Psychology at Aston University, Birmingham
Placement & Internship Experience: She undertook a placement year in Marketing at IBM, London
Key role within RateMyPlacement: Supporting the team in delivering the on-campus marketing strategy and promoting the RateMyPlacement website to students and universities. Liz has also seemingly been to every bar, pub and club in London, so is our social expert.
Favourite drink: Mojitos in the summer, tea in the winter to warm me up!
Favourite biscuit: Choc chip cookies
Interests: I love meeting up with friends, travelling, attempting to cook and listening to good tunes.
Contact Liz: 0207 824 5249 | lizzie@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Meet our Placement Students…
Time to practice what we preach! Meet our three placement students who joined the team in June/July 2010 and are with us for 12 months…
Alana King – Sales & Marketing Assistant
Age: 21
Hometown: Bromley, Kent
Degree & University: BA Marketing, University of Greenwich
Interests: Film & Theatre, Bags & Shoes and, of course, Food & Drink
Favourite drink: Sober – Orange Lucozade, the fizzy one; Alcoholic – Captain Morgans with Fat Coke, no ice
Favourite biscuit: To be confirmed by July 2011… Apparently!
Interesting Fact: Alana once had half her hair shaved off by a so called ‘professional’ hairdresser attempting to thin her hair… Thankfully, as you can see from the photo on the left, it has now grown back!
Contact Alana: 0207 824 5248 | alana@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Amy Leighton – Sales & Marketing Assistant
Age: 20
Hometown: Newcastle-under-Lyme (near Stoke-on-Trent)
Degree & University: Business Administration and Sociology – Aston University
Interests: Parties, Pandas, Mulberry handbags and cocktail bars with a bit of Cricket thrown in for good measure!
Favourite drink: Strawberry Daiquiri
Favourite biscuit: Smiley Faces (Not BN’s)
Interesting Fact: After a party and having had a couple of Strawberry Daiquiri’s Amy went to brush her teeth, tripped over the bath mat and managed to knocked herself out… she lay there for at least ten minutes with her toothbrush in her hand before one of her friends found her and continued to spend the rest of the night sat in A&E!
Contact Amy: 0207 824 5261 | amy@ratemyplacement.co.uk
Sam Edmunds – Sales & Marketing Assistant
Age: 20
Hometown: Ingatestone, Essex
Degree & University: Information Technology Management for Business, Loughborough University
Interests: Playing football (or at least trying to), All other sports, Socialising, Travelling, Skiing and Volunteering
Favourite drink: Coca-cola
Favourite biscuit: Sam loves the French biscuits, ‘Le petit écolier’ as they became his staple diet on a French exchange – he didn’t think much of the family’s cooking!
Interesting Fact: He can hover Maltesers just like on the advert – pretty pointless, but his only party trick none the less!
Contact Sam: 0207 824 5260 | sam@ratemyplacement.co.uk
