University of Bristol honours leading entrepreneurs
University of Bristol honours leading entrepreneurs
[Posted on 20 June 2008]
The University of Bristol today inducted three new members onto its Enterprise Roll of Honour. As a university with a world-class reputation for the quality of its staff and students, the excellent standard of its research and teaching and the sheer dynamism of its enterprise activities - it has helped produce generations of enterprising alumni who have gone on to establishing world-famous businesses.Today, the University welcomed three new members onto the Roll of Honour. Jaya Chakrabarti, founder and Managing Director of nameless Digital Creatives graduated from the University in 1995 with an MSc in Electronic Materials following a BSc in Physics.
In 1999, Jaya went on to found nameless Digitial Creatives, an agency specialising in web and digitial media. A full service web agency, nameless develop e-commerce, content management and web applications through to offering accessibility, communities and ethical search engine optimisation services.
Jaya was elected on to the Institute of Directors board for the West of England, and is also on the council for management for the Watershed Media Centre. She is involved with Connecting Bristol and a sub-working group of the Bristol Partnership for Enterprise.
Addressing the audience, Jaya commented,"I came to Bristol with little life experience and an understanding only of success in academia. When I finally left the University, I emerged with a much healthier perspective on the difference between wisdom and knowledge, and the courage to take my future into my own hands."
She continued,"As for words of advice, good businesses are built by people who challenge the status quo. If you can learn to identify when you're in a comfort zone, you stand a good chance of breaking out of it and doing something that actually makes a difference."
Other inductees included Chris Jolly, owner and Managing Director of Jolly Learning Ltd, which publishes Jolly Phonics and is used in schools around the world, including some 80% of UK primary schools. The educational tool teaches children to read using the 42 main sounds of the English language, not just the 26 letters of the alphabet. Each of these 42 is accompanied by an action in order to aid pupils in remembering the sound.
Jolly Learning's product range expanded to include Jolly Grammar, which develops word usage after a year of learning phonically.
Sofia de Meyer also joined the Roll of Honour having received her LLB at the University in 1996. After graduating she spent several years working as a lawyer before setting up her own company. In 2003, Sofia founded 'Whitepod' a concept that offers eco-friendly holidays. Whitepod uses igloo-shaped pods that have wooden terraces offering views of the Alps and are dismantled at the end of the ski season, leaving no trace behind.
Dr Neil Bradshaw, Director of Enterprise at the University said,"We are proud to be inducting three new members onto our Enterprise Roll of Honour today. Enterprise at the University continues to go from strength to strength and this induction is just one example of this growth. We are confident that it will remain a tribute to our alumni and an inspiration to future generations of students."
The Roll of Honour, which includes a glass display, showcases the entrepreneurial talent that has come out of the University and acknowledges the contribution to enterprise made by these alumni.
For further information please contact:
Sadia Rooney
Research and Enterprise Development, University of Bristol
Tel: +44 (0)117 928 8676, Email:sadia.rooney@bristol.ac.uk
www.bristol.ac.uk/research