Alexandra Stafford-Blythe
I have experience in all realms of project management; managing iterative software development projects at The Times (News Corp) and within creative agencies, most notably as project lead of the Nestle account for THG Ingenuity. From building Unruly’s ‘Home of the Future’, providing a real estate platform to house the discussion around advertising within our home, to currently managing the Digital Growth Programme, EMEA for Google - I value a hybrid model of experience that places me in that sweet spot between the world of creativity and tech.
Chloe Chan
Originally from Shanghai, I spent a few years of my childhood in Hong Kong with my family. Have been working in a local financial firm in Hong Kong, then decided to pursue my dream in London in 2012. As an old graduate from UAL, I majored in Fashion Management. In my second year at university, I co founded a business that offered luxury handmade leather goods workshop experiences. In the end of 2019, just before the Covid, I co founded a new company that imports and exports tools and materials for the leather goods industry. In between jobs and study, I enjoy doing Pilates, practicing western calligraphy or exploring new restaurants in town. It is exciting for me to be a student of an MBA program at an art school. It intrigues me to see how it will impact my career, perception of my field and personal growth.
Gabor Merza
My name is Gabor Merza, I am originally from Budapest, Hungary. I am a result-driven and people-oriented General Manager with 12 years of record managing teams to exceed sales and business objectives in the hospitality sector. Throughout my career, I have learnt how to manage a varied workload, assess employee performance, and ensure that all company activities adhere to legal guidelines and policies. This sector helped me obtain swift problem-solving, communication, customer service, time management, and the ability to work under high pressure. I have also completed a Bachelor of Management with First Class honours at Birkbeck, the University of London while working full time. Studying BA Management gave me a broad understanding of businesses and specific areas such as B2B marketing, finance, operations management, project management and human resources. I have also achieved a certificate in Intercultural Business Communication at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in China, which helps me to communicate effectively and establish relationships with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Gwen Haberman
I have over twenty years of brand design systems and foundation development experience in many countries and across most places that brands appear. I have used that experience to help designers and agencies understand a brand’s landscape, where the creative real estate lies, how they can thrive and create exciting work in that space, and where to build trust through consistency.
To guide creative communities in creating authentic ideas that resonate, I keep connected to internal ERGs (Employee Resource Groups), Accessibility and Neurodiversity teams, Customer Insight and Heads of Sustainability of the brands I work with.
Both at home and in the office, I am curious about the mundane — and if there’s another way to look at things to get a more sustainable and modern outcomes. She’s well known within the creative communities she supports as both a source of forward thinking and a connector of ideas to resources to make them happen.
She believes it’s everyone’s responsibility to understand climate change and to leave a better world for the generations to come. She volunteers with her local community in SE London to find ways to come together around carbon reduction and sustainable living.
Katerina Karnavou
I am Katerina and I am from Greece. I moved in the UK almost 7 years ago mainly for professional reasons but also because I wanted to travel the world. I have studied both psychology and early years education, however, I have worked most of the years as an early years’ teacher and manager. The last few years I am working in the head office in the early years sector in sales and marketing. The opportunity to work in the head office helped me discover my interest in business admin and operations. One of my main interests outside work is photography and I also did a course in professional photography. I prefer taking pictures as a hobby, mainly when I travel. My goal is to learn more about the business industry to support the business I am currently working for but also to get inspired and develop my ideas to become an entrepreneur
Kyeongmin Choi
I am from South Korea and majored in Film and TV Production at the University of Liverpool in China. I have worked in the film distribution industry since 2020. My experience in the industry propels me to understand business in the film and TV industry more formally so that I can come up with my own unique approach to connecting the public to film. I developed problem-solving skills and interdisciplinary ways of working, the two most beneficial aspects that have become my greatest assets as one who has worked in South Korea, and studied in China but am also very aware of Western practices. I am particularly interested in how to apply interdisciplinary knowledge that connects the economy, organisations and regulations in the digital world. As part of my ongoing exploration, I want to get closer to understanding its complexity by using varied methods, including pursuing my MBA course in Central Saint Martins.
Luca Paoli
I am originally from Italy, and currently living in London. I graduated in June 2022 from Birkbeck, studying History and International Relations, but have been studying marketing and business development on my own since 2018 when I started my own company. Indeed, in 2018 I co-created, together with my brother, a company called Clessio Lab, which deals with sneakers-customization and sneaker crafting. We sell sneakers and experiences, both selling the final product and offering in-person sneaker-making courses where the customer creates their own sneaker from scratch. I have worked for a variety of UK companies, while in the process of scaling up my business, working mainly within sales and marketing, curating social media growth plans, and achieving fantastic levels of brand awareness for both my business and external partners.
Sasha Alexander
My name is Sasha Alexander, a South African American living in London. I recently moved from NYC where I worked in media brand partnerships and sales, managing clients ranging from the financial and investment sector to the CPG DTC space and luxury fashion portfolios.
My experience is primarily with early-stage start-ups, where I loved collaborating to develop cross-department processes. Navigating those relationships is what sparked my passion for creating revenue strategies that elevate brand integrity or audience, and I’m excited to pursue my MBA to help brands scale authentically and sustainably.