Branden
Millward

We spoke to NTU alum, Branden, about his time NTU and his current role as Lead Analyst at the Post Office.

Q: What does a typical day in your current role look like?
A: My team was established in the wake of the Horizon IT scandal and the associated Group Litigation Order. My role requires me to manage two teams of analysts, tasked with identifying problems with the current system, and make recommendations to resolve them and implement those solutions

A typical day varies depending on my current project. I can be planning out work for the analysts; producing a presentation with a recommended solution that I present to the Chief Technical Officer, or analysing data journeys to produce new prototypes and process designs.

Q: How did you develop your career?
A: As part of my course, I completed a placement year at GKN Driveline as a Junior Business Analyst. I was then able to complete an internship at Capital One as a Strategy / Business Analyst between my placement year final year at NTU. Upon completing my degree, I was offered a graduate role as a Strategy / Business Analyst. I spent 3 years at Capital One across various teams until I was recruited by Post Office as a Senior Analyst. After around 5 months I was promoted to my current role, Lead Analyst.

Q: Have you faced any challenges along the way?
A: The main challenges along the way have been that my role is not always directly linked with specific skills I learned from my degree. However, at NTU I was taught to look at problems and adapt the skills I have to solve them. Using the skills from my course, I have learned new tools and techniques, improved and automated processes and allowed myself to tackle other tasks more efficiently.

Q: How was your experience at NTU?
A: My course prepared me for working in industry, by not just teaching me the skills to complete specific tasks, but also skills that can be adapted to suit the situation. I was able to build upon this skill set during my placement year and internship. The social aspect of NTU gave me great exposure to a variety of different cultures. This has allowed me to interact better with colleagues and build a better network which continues to help me in my career.

The environment at NTU was massively supportive. All of my lecturers were more than happy to take time out of their day to help with projects, as well as giving valuable insight when needed. Group work was promoted throughout my course, which allowed me to develop friendships and share knowledge.

Q: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
A: In my career so far, I have had the opportunity to present my work to the VP and Board level stakeholders, which can always be nerve racking but also exciting. Due to this, and many other areas of work, I have progressed my career very quickly. I am now managing multiple teams, which is something I am extremely proud of and was once a goal when I graduated.

Q: Do you have any exam revision tips and words of advice for NTU students?
A: Get together in groups to work through past papers, but also quiz each other, everyone will have different knowledge of different topics so use this to help everyone learn.

Work hard to achieve your goals, by consistently putting in the work it will become easier and easier. It might seem hard now but don't lose sight of your goals because it will pay off in the end. Sometimes it is hard to see in the moment, but when you look back at where you started it will all be worth it.

Q: Any tips for career development?  
A: Taking the opportunities that are available to you while at university will massively help you develop your career. Participate in placement years and internships - they can lead to jobs when you graduate and valuable work experience. These schemes not only give you a head start when looking for a role in the future, but can also have massive impact on your studies as they build in a work ethic very early on.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: My aim in the future is to continue to climb in my career alongside completing my MSc part-time.