Tom Senior - MSc Project Management and Leadership

Tom has just started work as Group Strategy Manager for specialist defence manufacturing group Chemring - the world’s largest maker of decoys to protect aircraft from missile strikes. He has recently completed a Master’s in Project Management and Leadership.

The opportunity to take a professional qualification came up in my previous role where I worked as a Strategy Analyst. I was impressed from the outset by the course at Portsmouth because it was one of very few that allowed you to balance studying for a qualification with working full time.

For me the best thing about the Master’s is that, despite the course being tailored to your current work, it still gives the flexibility to adapt to a different function within an organisation. Although it was modified to suit mine and the company’s needs at the time this certainly didn’t limit my learning.

The course leader and staff at Portsmouth were incredibly supportive; I would often pop in at the end of a working day and they would be more than happy to help. It’s also interesting to meet others students with similar career backgrounds but from different organisations. We got to know each other well on the course and it was helpful to hear different perspectives.

The new company I have started working for make aircraft ejector seats, missile simulators for training troops and robots for finding and defusing roadside bombs, so it’s an exciting move. I am sure that I secured this new role because not only have I had five years of business experience, but I am also up-to-date academically.