Title: Michelle Leavesley
Duration: 2.32 mins
MUSIC INTRO
My name is Michelle Leavesley and I’m Managing Director of City Desk Support. I’m Chair of the Young Directors’ Forum and I’m also a visiting lecturer at the Birmingham Business School.
My time at the University of Birmingham really was about trying new ideas and pushing myself outside my comfort zone. It was an opportunity to develop my business idea and using the support from the Enterprise Innovation Centre I was able to develop my very first business.
I chose to stay in the West Midlands because this City of Birmingham is a multi-cultural cosmopolitan place to work and live and I realised what great potential it had for not only myself but also for my business. Having an impact on the City of Birmingham is really important for me because I believe that you get out of life what you put in and as a young entrepreneur I had a lot of mentoring and support. So getting involved with projects like the Young Directors’ Forum at the Institute of Directors for me is about putting back and giving back some of the support that I’ve had through the years.
MUSIC
I strongly believe that investing in this city is about developing a community that I want to live in, that I want to work in and also I want a long term future in this city. So I believe that investing in the future is what it’s all about.
I would advise students who are looking to study at the University of Birmingham that they speak to students who are already studying here at the university, find out a little bit more about the opportunities and the benefits of the courses that they’re looking to enrol on and also look at the city as a whole and look at the career opportunities following on from studying.
I would advise students who are looking to develop a career in Birmingham that they network, trial and explore, so for me networking and the networking opportunities across the city, there are various business clubs that students can get involved with, exploring new ideas and new approaches and trialling any ideas that they might have in the safety zone of the university.
MUSIC OUTRO
END OF RECORDING