We're heading to London for our latest Nottingham Nights event, which gives you the chance to hear from the university and to meet and network with other graduates in a relaxed setting. 

The event is free to attend and you'll receive a complementary drink on us.

London 800x

Join us in London for a spot of speed networking.

At this event we'll also be running a speed networking session, where you can pick the brains of a trio of fellow alumni:

  • Rachel Ashdown (History, 1993): Lead Commissioning Editor, BBC Partnerships

    Her career in TV production saw Rachel produce and develop shows for ITV, Channel 4, Sky and the BBC. In 2014 she joined BBC Entertainment Commissioning as a Commissioning Editor working across shows such as The Graham Norton Show and I Can See Your Voice. In 2022 she was appointed as Lead Commissioning Editor for the Eurovision Song Contest when it was hosted in the UK on behalf of Ukraine.

    Rachel is currently a Lead Commissioning Editor at the BBC where she leads on pan-BBC projects including the Women’s Summer of Sport in 2025 and the UK City of Culture coverage.

  • Smriti Sharma (Archaeology and History, 2009): Senior Marketing Manager, BBC

    Smriti leads marketing for scripted content and has worked across a range of high-profile titles, including Happy Valley, Line of Duty, Race Across the World and Peaky Blinders, delivering large-scale global marketing campaigns.

    Prior to joining the BBC, Smriti was part of the NBCUniversal Graduate Programme, where she gained experience across press, PR, social media, digital and marketing.

  • Candy Candappa (Genetics/Biochemistry, 1980): Project Doctor, Datawise Intelligence

    Candy is an experienced technology and transformation leader with a career spanning programme delivery, quality assurance, technology change and management consulting. He has led complex transformation and assurance programmes across financial services and telecoms, working with organisations including Ageas UK, Prudential, O2 and the BT.