SBM Industry Spotlight Series: QMUL Alumni – From Campus to Career

When: Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Where: Online

What if you could fast-forward and visualise your future career? 

This special panel event will showcase the diverse career journeys of QMUL graduates. You’ll get real stories, honest advice, and insider tips from our graduates who’ve turned their degrees into exciting careers across areas like Finance, Marketing, HR, Public sector and more.

Hosted by Elizabeth Bailey – Senior Lecturer of Professional Development

This special panel event will showcase the diverse career journeys of QMUL graduates. You’ll get real stories, honest advice, and insider tips from our graduates who’ve turned their degrees into exciting careers across areas like Finance, Marketing, HR, Public sector and more.

Note: For SBM Students only

Meet our guest speakers:

Sandeep Saib – Senior Business Development Executive – CMS UK

Sandeep Saib is a powerful voice in mental health advocacy, drawing from her own lived and living experience as an “Expert by Experience.” Between 2012 and 2016, she battled Anorexia Nervosa, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and survived a suicide attempt. Nine years on, she has transformed her journey into a mission—educating, empowering, and supporting others while championing equality, diversity, and inclusion in the mental health space.

Sandeep is a qualified Mental Health First Aider and actively collaborates with a wide range of charities and organizations, volunteering her time and expertise to drive meaningful change. Her dedication was recently recognised with the prestigious SBM Mentoring ‘Long Service’ Award, honouring her long-standing commitment to mentoring and community engagement.

A proud alumna of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), where she earned her BSc in Business Management (2007–2010), Sandeep remains one of the university’s most engaged graduates. She serves on the SBM Advisory Board, mentors through both the QMentoring and SBM Mentoring programmes, and regularly contributes to university initiatives - from speaking at Industry Spotlight events to supporting Open Days, the Festival of Communities, and various media campaigns.

Professionally, Sandeep is a seasoned marketer with over a decade of experience across diverse sectors including legal, education, environmental consultancy, mobile advertising, and the charity sector. She currently works full-time at CMS, a leading international law firm, as a Senior Business Development Executive. In addition to her corporate role, she serves as a Mental Health and Wellbeing Network Committee Member and Wellbeing Ambassador at CMS, helping to foster a culture of openness and support around mental health in the workplace.

LinkedIn: Sandeep Saib - Senior Business Development Executive at CMS law firm - LinkedIn

Katherine Tinoco – Head of Human Resources International – Lyra Health

I am a Queen Mary University of London alumni and senior HR professional with over 17 years of experience across defense, non-profit, hydrocarbon, construction, finance, and banking sectors. Currently serving as Head of HR across 19 countries, I specialize in building effective teams, driving operational efficiency, and shaping people strategies on an international scale.

Holding two master’s degrees with distinction and an MSc in International Human Resources from Queen Mary, I bring strong expertise in recruitment, training, payroll optimization, policy development, and employee welfare. Throughout my career, I have led large teams, negotiated complex contracts, and implemented initiatives that improved productivity and reduced costs while enhancing organizational culture.

Passionate about continuous learning and professional growth, I have completed more than 50 courses and qualifications, equipping me with a broad and up-to-date HR toolkit to deliver impact at both strategic and operational levels.

LinkedIn: Katherine Tinoco - Lyra, formerly ICAS World | LinkedIn

Jack Emery -Finance Manager – Link Financial Group

Jack Emery is a chartered accountant with experience across both the public and private sectors, currently working as a Finance Manager in the private sector. He studied Accounting and Management at QM, graduating in 2019 with a first-class degree and an academic award. Straight out of university, he joined an event music agency on an internship which lead to a full time role, involving heading up some accounting tasks. Following the Covid pandemic, he took up a graduate placement at Southwark Council to complete his chartered accountancy training. 

LinkedIn: Jack Emery | Professional Profile | LinkedIn

Zaid Ul-Islam – Senior Strategy and Policy Officer – London Borough of Tower Hamlets

I graduated from Queen Mary University of London in 2022 with a degree in International Relations. A civil society internship in my final year, focused on community leadership, inspired me to pursue a career in the public sector. That autumn, I joined the London Borough of Tower Hamlets as a National Management Trainee on the “Impact: The Local Government Graduate” programme, gaining experience in Corporate Strategy and Housing Regeneration.

After completing the scheme, I became a Senior Strategy and Policy Officer, where I lead on developing and delivering community engagement and cohesion strategies and projects to ensure the council better listens to residents and fosters stronger relationships across diverse communities. Having lived, studied, and worked in Tower Hamlets my entire life, I am passionate about giving back and helping historically excluded people to access services. I also serve as Co-Chair of the Council’s Staff Young Employee Network, where I champion the opportunities and potential that a career in local government offers young people.

Email: Zaid.ul-islam@towerhamlets.gov.uk