“I joined Smiths Detection in Dubai as an intern which led to my current, permanent role as Junior Sales Manager. It’s amazing to think that the world could be a safer place because of something I do – that is definitely cool.”
Julian has always been fascinated by all aspects of flight and started building the foundations of his career by studying for a degree in Aviation management – followed by a logistics internship at Smiths Detection. Just as that was finishing, a new Junior Sales Manager Graduate Internship was introduced. “With encouragement from colleagues, supervisors and family, I decided to go for it and what a good decision – I’m now in a full-time sales position and I know this is absolutely where I need to be.”
A key element of the sales internship is developing a business strategy plan for a particular region and presenting it to the leadership team. “I spent five months on my presentation and along the way learned how important it is to have good relationships with internal stakeholders. I really had to push myself but achieving the goal was extremely rewarding. In contrast, another highlight for me as a ‘flight fan’ was the airport site visits – I was so thrilled to get a close up look at operations.”
Nurturing early careers
“The people at Smiths Detection are great and it’s obvious how much the company cares about employees. I’ve been here for nearly two years and have always been 100% supported. As an intern (twice), everyone was keen to pass on their knowledge and very encouraging. Although I now have my own responsibilities, colleagues and supervisors are still approachable and happy to take time to answer questions. I never hesitate to ask for help when needed and feel we all work as one team with a common goal. I’m also mentored by two Directors on career development.”
At the end of his sales internship, Julian received an internal award which recognises people who have gone above and beyond. Recipients are nominated by colleagues, and it is a particularly impressive achievement for an intern.
“I’m enjoying the ride and looking forward to finding out what comes next. I love working here and to top it all, the view from the office is the runway at Dubai airport – that is super cool!”