Chris Chomsoonthorn

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Why did you choose to study at LUMS?

Engaging and relevant modules, excellent placement program (and support team), and good facilities.

What was the best thing about your course?

Many things...my placement scheme, of course, is one, the strategy module was also fundamentally so different to other modules (in a good way), and overall the variety of topics covered left me well prepared.

What/who inspired you the most at LUMS and why?

Michael McDermott, one of my lecturers, was a big inspiration when it came to changing the way I approached learning and the way I viewed business strategy. Oftentimes we can get lost in the detail of why anything may or may not be working, and the approach taken in the module was reliant on drawing out key highlights and summarising in tables - it sounds simple, and is (visually), but in practice is a lot more challenging. Other than that I was inspired to do well by my friends and lecturers. 

Did you do a project, placement or study abroad? What did this involve and what did you gain?

Did my placement at Nissan Motors GB. Upon the application process, I was under the impression that, given my degree, I would be put into the marketing department, and I wasn't in the end. I landed in Customer Services, which I was initially disappointed with, and after a couple of months, I quickly realised how wrong my initial judgment was. Being at the forefront of the customer experience, especially when things go wrong, is, in my opinion, one of the single best experiences to go through in a professional career. It taught me to be humble, to accept that we as people make mistakes from time to time. It also taught me a bit about the wider picture of the business - how important it is to ALWAYS think of the end-user. Now working in other departments, I am more conscious about how my actions and those of my colleagues affect the end-user, whoever that may be.

Describe your time at LUMS in three words.

Lots of work!

What are your best memories of your time at Lancaster?

Best time with flatmates in the first year, spontaneous nights out, and making friends. Going through my placement experience. Learning a variety of skills from my course. Holistically was an unbelievably valuable experience; I changed so much over my 4-year course.

What are the best things about living in the Lancaster area?

There is only one answer and that is Sugarhouse. But seriously, the campus is great and convenient, the town is quaint, prices are low, easy trains down to London, decent nightlife. Lancaster is a good town for those who don't want the full-on city lifestyle.

Which parts of your Lancaster experience were the best preparation for your job?

2 things. 1 - the placement scheme and the preparation for this. The placement team were really supportive in ensuring we had everything from the basics to the more difficult soft skills. CVs and interviewing skills were worked on thoroughly. 2 - being part of a university environment really enables you to work on the social skills required to get jobs, because even if you have the hard skills to put your foot in the door - the soft skills are what get you the job, give or take a few specific cases.

What impact has your Lancaster experience had on your career?

High impact. Would not be where I am without my experience at Lancaster, for many reasons.

Is there anything else about your LUMS experience that you'd like to share with us?

Thank you to the team for being so supportive over my placement, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts.