Chris Sargent

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Department for Business and Trade

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

1. Interned at UNESCO 2. Built the British Chamber of Commerce in China’s international trade research and advocacy programme 3. Worked as an account manager in public affairs (PR/lobbying) 4. Currently negotiating free trade agreements for the UK

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

I’m interested in international policymaking. I enjoy the fact that what I’m doing has a quantifiable and significant impact and I see an interesting career trajectory ahead of me.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

Climbing club, kayaking, EUTCo, politics, economics, Chinese culture.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

Learning about other countries – culture, politics, literature, language. I learned most on my year abroad.

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

The friendships I made and sense of community.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

Campus university that was high in the rankings.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Oral and written communication, time management, working with people/ networking. Year abroad gave me the familiarity with Beijing that made me comfortable enough to return by myself.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Get work experience early and network as much as possible. Think about what you enjoy in an abstract sense then think about what jobs might fit that.

What are your plans for the future?

Progress in the civil service and work as a diplomat at an Embassy, likely in a Mandarin/ French-speaking country.