Natasha Rizk

I wanted to study politics after enjoying it so much at A-Level.

When I visited º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ on an open day with my mum, it had the best mix of modules that interested me, societies to join, social events and community feel. As cheesy as it sounds, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ was the campus that felt right.

I loved the variety and the ability to choose modules.

It’s always great to be taught by someone on a topic they are truly passionate about and are researching themselves. I never would have guessed I’d get so into the politics of APAC but ended up basing my dissertation on it!

Easy to say my career actually started at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, it gave me the best foundation I could have asked for.

After graduating I joined a graduate scheme in the September which was the springboard to the rest of my career. Which organisation did I join? One I met at a careers fair in the sports hall – Tesco.

Study what you love and what interests you, it makes everything so enjoyable.

Politics with a minor also allows you to pursue another topic that you’ve studied before or that’s totally new to you. I chose a mix of French and International Relations, which gives you greater breadth than at other universities.

All three years of my time at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ I was part of the Model United Nations Society as a member, but also as the Social Secretary, Treasurer and Vice Chair over the years.

We were able to attend conferences at other universities, grow our network and skills, as well as host our own conference in 2013. The people that I met in this society are some of my best friends today, so I’d say it had a huge impact on my experience while I was at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and beyond.

After graduating, I joined Tesco on their Store Management Grad Scheme. I ended up spending just over four years at Tesco, in roles as wide-ranging as department manager in store, executive assistant to the HRD, HR Business Partner and employee experience manager. Tesco gave me amazing experiences across their whole organisation and the opportunity to learn while still progressing your career.

In January 2018, I took the plunge and became a Senior Consultant at Deloitte in the HR Transformation Advisory practice. Having the experience ‘in industry’ has helped me hugely as I am able to provide organisational perspective. Coming in as an experienced hire has certainly been a challenge, but one I’ve loved every moment of.

As a consultant, we work on specific client projects. Often, a client has identified that they need help with a particular problem or opportunity and ask Deloitte to partner with them through the transformation.

In the past year I’ve worked on several global HR Transformations in various roles. No two projects are ever the same which keeps it interesting!

I love getting to know new clients and coming up with solutions to new challenges every time we start a project.

You learn so much in these situations, even surprising yourself with what you know and what you can achieve.

Hopefully a long career! I enjoy being a consultant and am very glad I made the move from industry.

When you’re doing something you enjoy, it makes the work so much easier. Looking forward, unless I stop learning new things every day, I see my career path within consulting.

I was lucky enough to be sponsored through my MA in HR Management at the University of Hertfordshire. I studied part time over two years, attending evening classes while still working full time. It made juggling work, coursework and a social life a huge balancing act, that I didn’t always get right. Now I look back with a huge sense of pride and achievement to have been able to complete my Masters, hold down a job - even get promoted and come out the other side.