Alumni Profile - Usman

1. My role…
I manage the Media Technology team at Digitas. We provide technical aspects in advertising and media operations and work with technology vendors and publishers to figure out the best solutions for our clients and make recommendations.

2. My MSc Marketing degree helped with my current profession as…
it enabled me to get an international mindset in marketing and advertising from different nationalities around the world on work projects. When I worked on an international Microsoft account with offices in 70 different countries, I was liaising with different international teams. Having that Business Management International mindset helped me gauge how to work in and with different environments and nationalities.

3. The greatest achievement I have faced in my job…
is building the Media Technology team from scratch here in San Francisco. When I started I was the only person overseeing the team and everything was based from the Chicago office, so it was an exciting time to build the team. We are now a team of 5, so managing the team, building up processes, documentation and looking at establishing ourselves here within the agency, is my greatest achievement.

and the greatest challenge…
was building a team, in terms of establishing ourselves within the agency, proving ourselves, providing mentorship and leadership within the team but overall it was a great process.

4. My advice to someone wanting to pursue a similar career is….
be curious, inquisitive, ask a lot of questions and network with people that have different capabilities. This in itself will provide and open lots of doors to you. Another piece of advice is find something you really like and you’re passionate about and just work really hard at that. You will feel a lot better about what you’re doing day to day and a greater sense of accomplishment.

5. I choose to study at the School of Business and Management because…
I really wanted to do a condensed 1 year course for my postgraduate degree in an international market. I heard great things about Queen Mary from family and friends who lived in London so this is why I chose Queen Mary.

6. What I enjoyed most about studying at the School of Business and Management was…

the international experience I got was one of the most enjoyable aspects. I was in a class with 50 people from all around the world and some of my classmates were from Trinidad, Germany, Russia, and Japan, so having a strong international student viewpoint really helped. I also enjoyed building friendships and having that connection of close knit friends who I still keep in touch with throughout the world. 

7. My most memorable student experience…
was creating a great group of close friends who I could rely on for school purposes and having fun outside our studies by visiting Scotland for a few days, a trip to the beach in Portsmouth, bowling, nights out in central London, dining at restaurants and, most importantly, studying together.

8. My favourite place on campus…
Library Square, we made that our central go-to location for studying and relying on each other for support. Drapers Bar and Kitchen was another place where my friends and I would spend hours having fun and was a great place on campus.

9. My interests and hobbies are…
photography is a huge passion of mine especially wedding and travel photography. I also really enjoy sports, basketball, hockey and staying active.

10. In the next five years I hope to…
work internationally - maybe in London. I would still want to be within the advertising operation and Media Technology field but in a different country.

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