Ian Rodger

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Salix Finance

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

I spent 18 years in the British Army, travelling the world, going to lots of exciting places and meeting lots of interesting people. I then spent 6 years at Barclays Bank, working in their small business team managing strategic projects to meet regulatory requirements. This included developing a strategy to support small business adapt to climate change and the demands of a carbon neutral economy. I started at Salix Finance in mid 2021. It provides government backed grants and loans to the public sector to help them reduce their carbon footprint.

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

I chose my current job as it is focused on the challenge of climate change, something I have become increasingly passionate about. I enjoy working with a group of similarly passionate group of people to try and make a difference to the major challenge of our time.

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

I was a member of the University Officer Training Corps and the climbing club.

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

I enjoyed the engineering projects we had to complete, both individual and group. There was a lot of scope to come up with your own ideas and then try and make them work.

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

I made friends for life – we still keep in touch and meet up as often as we can.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

The combination of the flexibility of the engineering degree – I didn’t have to decide what to specialise in until half way through the course which allowed me to get a feel for all the disciplines and chose which one to specialise in having tried them all.

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

The ability to manage my own workload and to solve problems by applying a methodical approach.

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

Don’t worry of you don’t find the right job straight away. Sometimes it takes 2-3 moves to find the role and organisation that work best for you.