December 6, 2013, by Malvika Johal

When two paths cross

Written by Anthea Morris (Mathematics 1996 and now Director of Better2Know)

Like most people alumni, I am not the person who turns up to business meetings with their Nottingham University tablet cover but 20 years after starting at Nottingham, I am continually meeting new people who graduated from our university, and it is a great conversation starter and that shared background makes our negotiations that bit easier.

I now run my own healthcare company called Better2Know:* and although I did not cross paths with them at Nottingham, we now have two Nottingham Medical School graduates working with us on our Medical Advisory Board and at our Nottingham clinic.  The Nottingham connection has definitely helped get the relationship off to a good start.  This has been important for a non-medic creating the right corporate impression in a healthcare world.

Discovering other former University of Nottingham alumni has become easier with the wide use of LinkedIn both in the UK and internationally.  I often use it to research people before I meet them, which is very helpful for establishing any common background to build that personal relationship as well as the business one.  We know that businesses grow by who you know as well as how good you are.

There is no doubt that the skills I learnt at Nottingham both as part of my degree but as part of the extracurricular activities of my student life have been fundamental in building the success of my company.  The relationships I have forged during and since have helped me to develop the relationships with doctors and consultants that support my business and our patients.

Many of the friends I made during my years at Nottingham are still close to me,  giving me the chance to draw on their opinions and expertise to bring extra colour and clarity to my personal and professional life, and I am very glad they all remain a strong part of it.

* Better2Know is the UKs leading private provider of Sexual Health Testing services we have clinics across the UK.

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