Gareth Lewis

What was Coventry University London like when you first arrived?

It was a lot smaller. I think we were on three floors, the first, second and fourth, with other organisations on the other floors, and we were obviously smaller in terms of the number of staff and students and the courses offered. It was brilliant - it was like a university but micro and it was very easy to do things that were quite innovative for universities. From a student point of view, it was great because we could build services around the types of students we had, and what their desires and ambitions were.

Can you share a standout moment, something that has made you proud to work here?

One that will always spring to mind was something small, but that was really important to me - winning an award voted for by students. They are our customers, and so being recognised by them for doing a good job was a really proud moment. It was just a little trophy like you get at school, but I’m very proud of it! I think the other thing would be setting up the Enterprise Hub. I demonstrated the demand for servicing this thirst for entrepreneurship that is typical among Coventry University London students, whilst also offering our large international student community the opportunity to stay on with a start-up visa. It created a huge opportunity and is something we as a university are very proud of.

What is it that makes Coventry University London so unique?

I saw that the university had been created with employability at the heart of all of the courses and that for me was the key thing. What was great about Coventry University London was that you had employability skills embedded within the programmes and every single course had this credit-bearing internship option. That’s why I applied and why I fit in so well, because I’m totally passionate about creating career-ready, global, enterprising graduates.

What would you like to see Coventry University London achieve in the future?

It would be great to attract more local students. Coventry University London is for people who want that business experience and also that global experience – we have more than 100 nationalities on campus. Considering we are all about creating global career-ready graduates, what better way could we achieve that than having an even greater mix of communities and nationalities!