Nicky Abbey (Gover)

A successful 6th Form Business Studies work placement with a large electronic security company led directly to a job offer from the company for Millbrook student Nicky Abbey (nee Gover). This offer in 1987 was to be start of a successful career in Marketing that has culminated in Nicky now owning and running a successful marketing and management consultancy based in offices just outside of Gloucester in Maisemore.

As Nicky explained, when she started her business studies course, she wasn't sure where it would lead: "I was always drawn to business but hadn't considered Marketing specifically until the work placement project. I returned to the academy after the placement with a keen interest in what I had seen and shortly afterwards received a call from the company to ask if I would consider returning to work in their marketing department permanently, which was a huge compliment and so in due course I did return to them. It was a great experience of real 'hands-on' marketing. So much marketing is all theory, but I believe that if you don't have the experience of applying it to real business situations then you really can't offer good advice to companies. I stayed with the electronics company for 3 years before moving to the in-house marketing department of a large insurance company where I specialised in PR. I moved again after 4 years to an advertising agency and finally back to in-house marketing for an industry leading manufacturer in Cheltenham in 1994. I now have a 9 year old son and it was when he started school that I realised I needed to achieve a better balance between work and home commitments. Fortunately I had the support and understanding of my MD at the company I was with and he encouraged me to become home-based and work part-time. This arrangement gradually changed when I started to get requests to work for other companies needing marketing support. I finally left 'paid employment' to set up my own company in 2001 and since then we have gone from strength to strength, specialising in b2b and tourism. We have built a good reputation for sound business advice and this is all down to the experience we have. I thoroughly enjoy what I do and the flexibility it gives me. My advice to students who are looking to work in a marketing environment would be - don't think your learning has finished when you finish your marketing or business studies course, instead be prepared to get your hands dirty, ask as many questions as you can to understand your business, get to know your market well and only then apply your marketing knowledge."

Nicky Abbey (Gover)