SMLC Spotlight: Laura Connelly

What are you doing now?

I graduated from Warwick in 2019 with a Hispanic Studies and French degree. 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.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

My degree 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.