{"id":845,"date":"2024-11-15T10:31:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T10:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/alumni-news\/?p=845"},"modified":"2024-11-15T10:42:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T10:42:28","slug":"consultancy-and-building-community-alumnus-tim-rault-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/alumni-news\/2024\/11\/15\/consultancy-and-building-community-alumnus-tim-rault-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Consultancy and building community: Alumnus Tim Rault-Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alumnus Tim Rault-Smith<\/a> graduated from the University of Exeter in 1990 with a BSc in Computer Science and is now an angel investor and business adviser in the fast-growing electric vehicle sector. We caught up with him recently to discover more about his life at Exeter, his career and what inspired him to get involved with our Exeter Leaders programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Tim studied at our Streatham Campus in Exeter, he was based in Lopes Hall for his first two years of studies. It was a time where B.B King played at the Great Hall, novelist John Le Carr\u00e9 was awarded an honorary degree and by the end of the 1980s student numbers had gone from 3,400 to nearly 5,200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remembering his Exeter days, Tim says: \u201cIt was a great campus. I served on the Lopes Hall committee as treasurer for the second year which gave me the chance to learn a bit of teamwork, marketing and help organise a summer ball. I was involved in other societies which involved music, including a rag week Blues Brothers float where I played bass (pictured above). My course was also pretty good, particularly as the <\/em>study<\/em> of Computer Science was new at the time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating, Tim worked in a variety of IT and Software companies using the skills from his degree both in-house and on a consultancy basis. He was drawn to this area of work as he had been programming since the early 80s when home computers broke into the public consciousness. He shares that \u201cthe course and my career in the computer industry was a natural development. Just a few years after graduating, I left a steady job to work as a freelance technical instructor which led after a few years to a job at a Silicon Valley manufacturer. There I consciously moved into different services roles every few years to broaden my experience, and I was perfectly positioned after nearly 10 years to join a software startup which turned out to be successful!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the three decades Tim has been working in this sector the industry itself has seen many developments, changes and challenges. Recent alumni and upcoming graduates are well placed to apply the latest knowledge, innovation and solutions to this field in the years ahead. We asked Tim what his advice would be to those looking to work in this area and he said: \u201c<\/em>In<\/em> any field, <\/em>actively observe<\/em> people, and learn empathy: understand other people\u2019s points of view. Don\u2019t assume a large company is the best way to get opportunities: be prepared to work for a small company, or for yourself, or start one. And align your work with your values. Lastly, if you\u2019re in a technical role, try as much as possible to understand what\u2019s going on \u2018under the hood\u2019.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside, or as part of building their careers, alumni, such as Tim, play a significant part in helping Exeter achieve our strategic aims. So as part of our chat with Tim we wanted to learn about ways that he has been working to make the world a greener, healthier, and fairer place, personally or professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tim at the House of Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on three companies in his portfolio Tim said that his work supporting projects such as these three below are part of how he connects with the University\u2019s Strategy 2030 tagline: \u2018Together we create the possible\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n