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Nick Graham

Profession
MA Applied Imagination Alum
College
Central Saint Martins
Person Type
Alumni
Nick Graham

Biography

Nick graduated from MA Applied Imagination in 2010. He has 15 years’ industry experience and currently works as Global Director, Digital Marketing at Huawei Technologies. Nick is based in London and frequently travels to Shezhen, China for work.

What did you do before coming to CSM to study this course?

I completed the MA course while working full-time, which meant busy evenings and weekends. I was mid-career in media, digital media specifically, and I was seeking new ground in understanding how creativity is being affected by technology. My graduate degree was in computer science and I missed the experiential connection with human sides of technology. The course appealed to me as a way of linking communications technology with my early background in fine art.

In your experience, what was the best thing about the course?

The course exceeded my expectation mostly as a result of the globally diverse people I met, their raw ambition, their sheer desire to succeed and their talent, as well as the way in which the course tutors pushed our individual thinking and projects by getting us out into industry – pushing us to engage with thought leaders and repeatedly asking us to question the boundaries of our work.

Did MA Applied Imagination change you and if so, how?

MA AI is transformational in so many ways, some subtle, others not. It allowed me space to create and to think more broadly again, a privilege I missed in the constantly busy workplace. In other ways, it served as a reminder of the lifelong dream to do more and to create something of value. Often hard to find in many of today’s careers.

Can you describe what your job is?

I am Global Digital Marketing Director at Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., which is a leading global ICT solutions provider and top-100 global brand. At Huawei, I help create targeted advertising and communications to reach our audience in a personalised way. I am lucky to work closely with Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and leading publishers. I apply my digital media and marketing experience to three core areas:

  • Harnessing digital marketing to transform business effectiveness
  • Optimising the customer experience across channels
  • Developing and helping implement new growth models

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Finding creative solutions to today’s marketing challenges motivates me and is fun to do. It’s about developing communications work that helps improve business strategy, and doing this for a high growth Global ICT company is a unique opportunity. Working with people from far-flung parts of the globe is also very stimulating and pushes me to clarify ideas and communications.

Does your experience of MA Applied Imagination help you in your work now?

Absolutely. The teamwork, the fast-paced mini-projects, and the knowledge sharing were all key features of how we worked during the course, and today these experiences benefit me greatly in working smarter in complex environments. I wouldn’t hesitate to put the experience on par with my MBA.

During my time on MA AI, I also studied with a group of truly individual and talented people who acted as a support network for developing great ideas.

Central Saint Martins

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 7444

Address

1 Granary Square
King's Cross
London
N1C 4AA