Richard Bellamy
HND Mechanical and Production Engineering 1986
Richard runs a business unit within Coopervision Manufacturing Ltd, a global contact lens manufacturing organisation that produces contact lenses for sale across the world. He is responsible for all engineering and manufacturing operations.
Richard says: “My career has developed well and changed direction towards business management after graduating in 1998 with an MBA from Southampton University.”
After working in different industries in management roles, Richard joined Coopervision Manufacturing Ltd in 2005. He says: “The transition back from a very different industry meant effectively starting my career again, re-joining as a Production Engineer.
“My challenge was to get back to a business management level, which after nearly nine years, I have achieved. For anyone thinking or waiting for an offer of promotion, my advice is not to wait and to take the opportunity to ask for, and to demonstrate delivery at one level above your current position.”
The Sunderland graduate has still abiding memories of Sunderland and the University: “It was 29 years ago that I started my course. I was extremely impressed by the lecturers, some of whom were carrying out research programmes and were not only good at their own subject matters but also had time for students.
“One particular lecturer, in the field of Thermodynamics, was so enthusiastic about his subject that he passed on that enthusiasm to the students. We all enjoyed his style and I think this was very enabling for some students who found the subject matter quite challenging.”
Richard’s advice to current students on how to get a foot on the career ladder is: “Create a new CV for every application and pick specific experiences which fit the requirements of the advertised post.
“For most employers, working hard is just expected and what they require is delivery. If any student has devised a plan, executed it well and delivered the promises, then I recommend him to summarise it and include it in his application.
“And one last small piece of advice: if you spend a lot of time at work make sure you do something you enjoy. If you’re not enjoying it, do anything to find something you will enjoy.”