Students benefit from Westminster Working Cultures trips to Mumbai and Cairo: ‘It changed my perspective on everything!’

WWC International offers Westminster undergraduate students a second-to-none international learning experience in some of the world’s major cities, challenging and radically transforming their perception of culture and the global labour markets. Thanks to the insightful exchange with the Westminster alumni community and partners, students develop a unique edge on employability and valuable cultural awareness. 

Two separate groups of 20 students visited Cairo and Mumbai, where they met with several Westminster alumni and partners and heard about a range of professional journeys unique to Egypt and India. The students explored different sectors such as entrepreneurship, the film and animation industry, journalism, governance, and tech and media.

During the inaugural WWC trip to Cairo, from Saturday 28 January to Friday 3 February, students learned about Egypt’s professional importance in the region and what it takes to have a successful career in a dynamic city like Cairo.

The group visited the British Embassy and heard from Ambassador Gareth Bayley about his journey to becoming an ambassador and from his colleagues about how the Embassy works and supports UK-Egypt relations.

Students also had the opportunity to meet Alia Abul Eyoun, Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate and Business Development Manager at Saudisoft. Alia shared her experience in working for the organisation which offers translation and localisation services specialising in the Middle East and Arabic and led an in-depth discussion on the skills needed to be a good manager.

A highlight of the trip was also exploring the local media sector from several different angles with Westminster graduates. Students visited Al-Ahram, the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, meeting Global Media MA alumna and Vice Editor-in-Chief in the Foreign Affairs section, Rehab Gouda Khalifa.

There was also the opportunity to meet journalism students at The American University in Cairo with Nadine El Sayed, Media Management MA and Journalism and Mass Communications PhD graduate. Nadine is a journalist and Associate Professor of Practice at The American University. Westminster students also explored brand introduction to the Middle East with Multimedia Journalism (Broadcast) MA alumnus Zeyad Salem who is Head of Sports Business Unit at Kijamii.

During the fourth WWC Mumbai trip between 28 January and 5 February, students heard from Sameer Pitalwalla, Media Management MA alumnus and Head of Gaming at APAC at Google Cloud about his inspirational journey through the tech sector, the challenge he faced in starting his own business and the opportunities that come with working in the sector. 

The group also visited ATLAS SkillsTech University, a longstanding partner of the University of Westminster, where Westminster academics delivered world-class teaching. Westminster students attended lectures on social entrepreneurship in India as well as problem-solving and thinking critically. They also toured ATLAS’ campus and explored what it’s like to be a student in Mumbai. 

Highlights in Mumbai also included learning about the financial sector with Rakesh Nair, International Business and Management MSc alumnus and Senior Faculty at BSE; the Healthcare sector with Pranil Vadgama, Computer Science BSc Honours alumnus and CEO and President at Health Prime; and Bollywood with Rikhil Bahadur, Film, Television and Moving Image MA alumnus and CEO & Founder at Aexor Entertainment.

LLB Law Honours student Kaudija Saparenkaite, a participant on WWC Mumbai, said: “The WWC Mumbai programme completely altered my viewpoint on people, different working cultures, what is one’s happiness and life itself. After I returned from the trip, I was a different person. It changed my perspective on everything! If it hadn't been for WWC, I wouldn't have been able to ever experience anything like this. 

“On the trip, I got a chance to network with some of the most amazing Westminster alumni and partners, which greatly improved my career prospects and employability. If travelling with strangers is outside of your comfort zone, I advise you to go for WWC! You won't regret it.”

Alia Abul Eyoun, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) alumnus and Business Development Manager at Saudisoft in Cairo said: "It was a pleasure meeting the students on the Westminster Working Cultures Cairo programme. It was great to be able to share with them some insights on their potential career paths and ways they can achieve their professional goals."

This trip was made possible by the generous funding support from the Quintin Hogg Trust. 

The next trips in the Westminster Working Cultures programme are to Barcelona, Milan and Singapore in April 2023. 

Learn more about the Westminster Working Cultures International programme.