Hi everyone!I am excited to share with you our new project – Alumni Conversations. This year has been extraordinary in many different ways for all of us and has provided much to contemplate and discuss. Each of us has experienced the global events of the past couple months in a different way. We believe that coming together and sharing our experiences will not only initiate important discussions but will also help us get to know each other as Laidlaw Alumni in a meaningful way. Alumni Conversations will utilize the ‘Conversations’ tool on the Laidlaw Scholars Network to discuss a topic of global importance each month - to share our thoughts, experiences and findings. This online discussion will be followed by an informal Zoom meeting at the end of the month to share some highlights of the discussion and to network with our fellow Laidlaw Alumni in an informal setting.  THIS MONTH’S TOPIC: Black Lives Matter - What Have We Learnt?  The tragic death of George Floyd was one of the many examples that brought to surface our sad reality where racism continues to be rooted deep within the society. The BLM movement took social media by storm, got people protesting in the streets, raised awareness and sparked conversations about racism, discrimination and inequality. Yet, only weeks after the mass protests and social media campaigns very few people continue to voice the topic on social media.  What can we conclude from this? Has the BLM movement been successful? How do we measure the success of BLM and other campaigns aimed at raising awareness and bringing about social change? What was the role of social media? What about media in general? What was the most important lesson or take-home message that you got from your experience of the BLM movement? We would love to hear your thoughts about these questions and others related to BLM in the replies below. If you’ve found an interesting article/podcast/video or if you have any personal experiences that you would like to share, please leave a reply below. The date for the informal Zoom meeting will be announced soon, so stay tuned! 

It was a big pleasure to attend the inaugural session of the Career Panel Series and get some wonderful insights into the consultancy sector. Dr Gabrielle Silver, Niall Santamaria and our extraordinary alumni, Alice Lassman and Lorenzo Molinari, brought to us such a rich discussion of a wide range of topics - from what it takes to be a good consultant to how COVID-19 is affecting the future of consultancy. I found it particularly useful to hear their top tips for interview preparation:- Be yourself- Start preparing early- Keep your CV concise and honest- Have a 'razor sharp reason' for why you want to be in consulting- Understand the organization - Ask questions - they will be more engaged in you- Take advantage of your networks (particularly your Laidlaw Alumni Network) What was your favorite part of the discussion/key take-home message? Do you have any questions that were not answered but you would really like to ask? Would you like to share your own experience and thoughts? We would LOVE to hear from you below! Please share any thoughts, questions and feedback. P.S. If you have missed the panel, do not worry! You can find the recording of the video here.