Laura Connelly

BA Hispanic Studies and French, 2019; MSc International Business, 2021

Marketing Coordinator for the European Consumer Products Division, Sonoco

I knew that I wanted to study more languages if given the opportunity, so I took Portuguese in my final year, for which I was awarded a First. I also took an intensive Russian Summer Immersion course in London during my 2018 summer vacation, and studied Chinese Language for Beginners during my Masters. After graduating I decided to expand my skills and learn more about the professional settings in which they could be applied. It was for this reason that I applied for an MSc in International Business at Warwick Business School. My MSc enabled me to gain experience in all aspects of international business and to consider how the knowledge I had acquired in my first degree could be applied to and add value within a professional framework. It also afforded me the opportunity of expanding my professional network to Sonoco, the company where I am currently employed.

I’m very fortunate to be able to use my languages on a daily basis in my role, given that our Marketing Team focuses on the European market, and I have colleagues with whom I collaborate regularly based in France, Spain and even Latin America

(Sonoco’s Corporate HQ is in the States). I have contributed to the translation of customer letters and our new website; I’ve also liaised with our European customers, facilitated integrations of new European subsidiaries into our European Division, and provided in-depth cultural insight for our numerous and varied market research projects.

I would not be in a position to add so much value to the business without my linguistic competence; indeed, the first question that our Vice President asked about me was: “Does she speak any languages?”!

Studying languages makes you stand out to senior management — as well as providing me with more friends than I thought possible, not only from the French and Hispanic cultures, but also across the Globe.