Business Management Graduate

Tom Highmore

History

Graduate Job

Centrica

About Me

I love sport and I competed nationally in swimming with my best stroke being butterfly. Having now stopped swimming, I am a keen boxer and enjoy going to the gym. Outside of sport my interests include singing, gaming, and travelling.

Studies & Skills

I studied history for my undergraduate and international law for my masters, a rare combination on a trading house’s business management stream. I have therefore been able to bring a unique perspective to my two placements so far. For example, while my law degree has helped in a more direct sense within my roles, my history degree has also been surprisingly helpful. The energy industry is inherently global and is a highly politicised space. I feel that my history degree allows me to delve deeper into these political tensions and to understand why they have occurred and how they might develop in the future.

Biggest Learning

The most important lesson I have learned since joining is that it is ok not to know everything. Coming into a company like Centrica is daunting and I was guilty when I first started of trying not to show that I didn’t understand a lot of things. However, I have realised this is ok, and embracing this is the best thing you can do. Everyone, regardless of their level, is happy to help explain things and they have a wealth of experience they will share if you are open to learning.

Why Centrica

Aside from Centrica being a very successful and highly respected company, they give their graduates amazing development opportunities and within the team you are placed in you are treated like any other team member, not ‘just a grad’. Among other things, a couple of highlights have been that I was lucky enough to go over to Denmark twice to meet with stakeholders with my team and I spent a few days at Sandhurst for teambuilding with the other graduates. Overall, I feel like a very valued member of a community which is crucial, especially this early into my career.

Top Tip

Although it sounds really cliché, I would say be yourself. Centrica Energy have worked very hard to create a particular culture that for a trading house is very friendly and where everyone is eager to help one another out. While I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and always feel guilty saying so when my friends from university are talking about the string of 15-hour days they have just worked, I think I enjoy it so much because I was very open about who I am in the application process.