BU graduate Bukky Moemeke has combined her skills in marketing and a passion for sport to land a dream role with Premiership Rugby.
As Marketing Manager for the top-flight of English rugby union, Bukky is responsible for promoting the brand and generating demand in the build-up to the final of the competition at Twickenham each June. It’s a role which draws on her student experiences at Bournemouth, where she studied Advertising with Marketing Communications while indulging her love of sport by playing hockey. Bukky said: “When I was looking at university courses Bournemouth was the first place I visited. I was so impressed at the open day that I didn’t bother visiting anywhere else and put BU courses down for two of my four choices. The course was great preparation for what I am doing now. The majority of projects included pitching or presenting your work to others which is such an important transferable skill – whether you are trying to secure client work within an agency or simply trying to get a new idea over to your boss. Outside of studying I loved being part of the hockey team and working at The Old Fire Station throughout my degree. The staff team there became my best friends and that extended network of contacts has been valuable for me since graduating.”
Bukky’s course included a placement at a London-based experiential marketing agency, which helped to spur her on to complete the final year of her degree. She said: “Having the placement in your third year helps to make sense of your final year and certainly makes you more focused. That commercial experience makes you realise what you are working towards and what you have to do to get there.”
After completing her studies, Bukky secured a place on the first graduate scheme to be offered by advertising media agency Wavemaker Global. Of the five places, two went to BU graduates and Bukky went on to spend three years with the company, specialising in digital advertising. After deciding to take a break and go travelling for a year, Bukky began to think about how she could combine her love of sport and her career. She said: “I realised that marketing and events was a big part of the sports world and that I might be able to bring the two together. I kept an eye on sports recruitment websites and when the job came up at Premiership Rugby I jumped at it. I really enjoy rugby, so to be in a job where you discuss the sport and are actively involved in promoting it to fans on a daily basis, is amazing. Unfortunately, the final at Twickenham had to be cancelled this year due to Covid-19, so I missed out on being part of this huge event. I am looking forward to being part of that next year.”
Having navigated a tough employment market after graduating in 2015, Bukky’s advice to others is not to give up. She said: “I know that it will be hard for those graduating this year, but there are jobs out there and I have known friends and colleagues secure new roles in the past few months. Be confident and keep going for it. It might mean having to work that bit harder by getting more CVs out and by contacting more people, but having a positive attitude gets you a long way and you can’t listen to those who say it isn’t possible.”