On Wednesday night we were at the Amazon HQ, hosting our annual networking event for the Freshminds’ Ones to Watch Scheme. The evening was a great success – a chance to mingle with previous ‘Ones to Watch’ and the talented new students who have been selected for this year’s scheme. It was fantastic to see so many of our alumni there, in what marks the beginning of our efforts to re-invigorate our Ones to Watch network.
Situated on the rooftop terrace, our Ones to Watch and Freshminds team had a fantastic view of the London skyline whilst schmoozing with their new-found business network. The talks from our speakers were equally impressive, as we heard about ‘The Face of the Future’ from Tom Standage (Deputy Editor of The Economist), Caroline Gorski (Head of the Internet of Things at Telefonica), Oliver Bridge (Founder of Cornerstone), and Paul Firth (Category Leader – Music & MP3 at Amazon).
All four speakers were captivating and forward-thinking, providing listeners with food for thought on what their future careers may have in store. Tom Standage gave a glimpse of the industries that will change most dramatically over the next decade, including transportation and augmented reality.
Next up, Caroline Gorski’s powerful message to our Ones to Watch was based on the importance of data, and its influence upon customer experience. Oliver Bridge also highlighted the value of process and systems thinking in building business success – he reckons that if you know what to do with data, and are clever about how you interpret it, you can be innovative and make exciting things happen. Paul Firth had a similar message for our Ones to Watch – introducing some of Amazon’s innovative new products that are set to change the every day lives of its customers, whilst opening up exciting prospects for bright young things entering the workplace.
The evening was rounded up by a fascinating Q & A session and a further chance for our guests to network with their fellow Ones to Watch and admire the night-time views over London.
The Future for Ones to Watch
There’s a lot in the pipeline for Ones to Watch over the upcoming year. As a brand new initiative for OTW, we are launching a mentoring scheme for all alumni, giving Ones to Watch of recent years the chance to gain advice from mentors within the network about their chosen sectors. This year Freshminds will also be hosting an alumni dinner for all 2005 Ones to Watch, an exciting way for us to re-engage with our talented network.
Photo credit: Jack Woodhouse
