Critical thinking: alumni share the keys to career success at Business Day 2025

Steph Lilley, the VP Transformation Europe at Reckitt, was joined at Hull University Business School by Jo Shepherd, the Sales and Marketing Director at Bosch Home Comfort Group. Bringing a wealth of real-world experience as senior leaders in business, the two former students provided an afternoon of activities and workshops designed to give students a competitive edge. They were assisted by our very own Careers Consultant, Tony Taylor, who provided a practical workshop on CVs.

Critical thinking was the key point for Steph, who graduated with a BA in History in 2006, and an MSc in Business Management in 2008.

"One of the key things that I want people to take away is the importance of being able to think for yourself," she said before her workshops with the students. "Your ability to think, your life experiences and how you take those into a company, and your ability to look at what’s in front of you and make your own decisions – those are really important skills that I hope people start to consider in their time with me today."

Steph’s session challenged students with a real-world scenario: plan a major conference for a leading company. The students were given five possible locations and twenty minutes to make their choice. But with a twist: one person had all the key details, and the other members of their team had to ask the right questions to uncover what mattered most. Through this exercise, the students learned that great decisions start with great questions demonstrating how critical thinking (the ability to analyse information, evaluate evidence, and form reasoned judgements) is essential for effective decision making & problem solving.

Jo Shepherd, a 2001 BA Management graduate and 2003 MSc Business Management graduate wanted to focus on curiosity and the importance of students stepping out of their comfort zone to keep growing.

"If I can help in some way to shape their careers and their thinking processes that would be a great achievement for me today," Jo said. "So if I can pay that forward, then great."

In her session Jo challenged students to identify their transferable skills by considering the skills that they have now and those that they think they will need to develop as their careers progress. This enabled participants to look at their career as a skills pathway, rather than a series of desired companies, industries or titles. Jo concluded by pointing out that the willingness to grow through challenge distinguishes people early in their careers. This doesn’t mean being tough or reaching a

stage where you’re not fazed by anything - growth doesn’t come from comfort. For Jo, the moment that you feel comfortable is the moment that you stop developing professionally.

There was a great celebratory feeling to the day, with students enthusiastic about the things they had learned and the interactive nature of the sessions

"The teaching on skills was very insightful," said one student. "My take home is that listening skills are very important in being a good sales-person."

"It helped me to see things that employers might be looking for, assess where I might be holding myself back, and ways I can improve and grow," said another.

As well as being an inspiring day, it was clear that Jo’s idea of ‘paying it forward’ was also really important, and students responded positively to the idea that Jo and Steph were alumni, who had once been in their position as students at Hull, and were coming back to share their experiences.

"It inspired me to realise I can achieve big things in business by following their advice,’ another student said. ‘It’s also nice to see the community that the University of Hull builds."