This July we were delighted to welcome back four of our alumni – Frank Gardner OBE (Arabic and Islamic studies, 1984), Paul Hammersley (Politics and Economics, 1984) Oussama Kardi (Politics and International Studies, 2016), and Sarah Dusek (LLB, Law, 1998) – to celebrate the anniversary of their graduations.
As part of our graduation ceremonies, we hosted – Frank, Paul, Oussama, and Sarah – in Exeter and Cornwall to mark 40, eight, and 26 years since their respective graduations. During their visits, they reminisced about their studies, shared stories from their careers, and passed on words of encouragement for the graduating students from the Class of 2024.
We’ve shared some of their career highlights and memories below:
Sarah Dusek (LLB, Law, 1998):
Sarah is an activist at heart – she has spent her life pursuing her passions and dreams as an entrepreneur, conservationist, venture capitalist, speaker, and now author. In 2009, she founded the leading upscale outdoor hospitality brand Under Canvas, and at the helm of Enygma Ventures, she led the development of a programme to help redefine systemic issues for female leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Sarah has co-founded Few and Far, which creates sustainable eco-hospitality experiences to protect, preserve, and impact green spaces around the world.
Remembering her university days Sarah shared: “I made lifelong friends at Exeter and started to discover who I was going to be in the world. From hurried morning walks up cardiac hill from Birks hall to make it to Law lectures on time. To religiously spending my lunch vouchers on pasta and sauce at the main cafeteria on campus and being involved with the Christian Union. My Exeter days are filled with so many very happy memories on and off campus.”
Hear more from Sarah:
Frank Gardner OBE (Arabic and Islamic Studies, 1984):
Frank is the BBC’s fulltime Security Correspondent reporting on events from Afghanistan to piracy off the Somali coast to Arctic challenges. He was shot six times at close range while on assignment in Saudi Arabia in 2004, left severely wounded and dependant on a wheelchair. As well as being awarded an OBE in 2005, Frank is also the author of four bestselling books. These describe his Middle East experiences, unusual journeys to unusual places, as well as fictional spy thrillers.
Reflecting on his time at the University Frank said: “Exeter Uni – and living in the South-west – was special. Cream teas at Newton Poppleford, long walks across Dartmoor, murky Devon cider with the regulars down at the Red Cow opposite St. Davids (now long demolished) and straining to complete the Tarzan assault course at the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone with the Officers Training Corps (EUOTC). These are just some of the things that marked my time there. Oh, and making some lifelong friends too!”
Hear more from Frank:
Oussama Kardi (Politics and International Studies, 2016):
Oussama studied Politics and International Studies, graduating in 2016, before going on to undertake a Masters in International Relations at the LSE. After a brief stint in journalism, he joined the Civil Service’s Fast Stream programme in 2018. He has undertaken a number of roles across the Civil Service, mostly in crisis response and resilience roles in HMRC, Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has been deployed on diplomatic engagements abroad and currently leads a resilience team in DEFRA.
As part of his speech to the Class of 2024 graduands Oussama spoke about his Exeter story and how it has shaped his life, as well as offering advice to the latest alumni. He said: “Be intentional in everything you do (…) Just like Penryn Campus, the world is a beautiful place, and there are meaningful things everywhere around us, and we can all change the world by starting with the world immediately around us. Be passionate about your goals. Be purposeful in your actions. Be motivated and inspired by your values, your vision and your mission. You will find that purpose and you will channel it into everything that you do.”
Hear more from Oussama:
Paul Hammersley (Politics and Economics, 1984):
Paul has spent his whole career in the advertising business. The first ten years of his working life were at Saatchi & Saatchi in London, and he then moved to New York to work for Lowe and Partners where he ran their Coca Cola account and oversaw the development of the Lowe network across South America. In 2000 he became CEO of Lowe North America. He left Lowe in 2004 and returned to London to be Chairman and CEO of DDB London and then a founding partner of The Red Brick Road. Following an MBO of the agency Paul left to run the PE-backed EDC group and in June 2017 he founded The Harbour Collective, a group of specialist marcoms agencies, which he still runs.
He remembers his time at Exeter fondly and said: “I was lucky enough to study a subject I enjoyed. I had great lecturers and professors in politics, I really focused on the political side of my degree. I really enjoyed that subject and was genuinely passionate about my studies, which is not always the case. But I was also lucky enough to make some great friends, lifelong friends that I still see today, 40 years later. And we had a lot of fun, and I played sport every day of the week, and so I loved that too.”
Hear more from Paul:
It was a real pleasure to welcome back Sarah, Frank, Oussama, and Paul, to celebrate their graduation anniversaries, and welcome the Class of 2024 to the alumni community this month. Congratulations to you all!