Tell us about your career path since graduation. How did you end up where you are? 

I always wanted to be a journalist. I spent a few years after graduation earning a living writing for business and political newsletters, while also working unpaid for a local radio station. This helped me get a job as a presenter at Swiss Radio International, which in turn led to a fantastic role at the BBC World Service. I've stayed within the BBC ever since, working in the News and Politics departments, as well as in Business. These days, I can mainly be found reporting on major domestic and international stories for the main BBC TV and Radio outlets, as well as writing for the website. I still find time to present radio programmes on occasion - and it remains one of the things I enjoy the most. It has been a very varied and rewarding career.  

What was it about your time at Royal Holloway that has most benefitted your career or influenced your path since graduation? 

I realised when I was at Royal Holloway that I could write well, and it didn't feel like a chore. That gave me the incentive to look for a career in journalism, as well as the confidence to enter a sector in which there was cut-throat competition for jobs. The skills I picked up during my drama studies proved invaluable for concealing natural shyness - and had obvious benefits when I later went into broadcasting. A TV reporter is simply an actor who has seconds rather than weeks to learn his lines! I was lucky enough to be tutored on the English course by inspiring figures such as Anne Varty and Tom Keymer. Their advice has proved invaluable over many years. 

What would you say to potential students considering studying at Royal Holloway? / What advice would you give to students thinking about a career in your sector? 

When it comes to studying at Royal Holloway, make sure you're comfortable with spending 3 or more years at a campus university. It's a self-contained community in a leafy London suburb, and for some people that's perfect, but others may prefer the bright lights and adrenaline rush of a city centre. And if you're looking at a career in journalism? It will suit you if you're curious by nature, love to write and don't mind regular trolling on social media. Every day is different, and deadlines will often be measured in hours or even minutes. If you enjoy a daily adrenaline rush, it's perfect. But if you want to get rich, look elsewhere! 

What did you love most about your time at Royal Holloway? / What's your favourite memory of Royal Holloway? 

This will sound unbearably trite, I know - but number one has to be meeting my future partner, who I've been with for more than 25 years now, and who is the mother of my two kids. Other than that, I have very fond memories of lazy mornings sitting on the slopes below Founder's pretending I didn't have essays to write, of too many beers in the Royal Ascot (now the Packhorse) and of curry nights at the old Bengal Brasserie. I recently went for a look round the campus with my son, who is preparing to apply to universities. A great deal has changed, in many ways for the better. But it is still very recognisably Royal Holloway.