Sarah Saxton
MSc/PgDip Psychology (Conversion), 2021
About me
- Customer Development Director and Strategic Business Sustainability Consultant
- Studied: MSc/PgDip Psychology (Conversion), 2021
- Contact me on LinkedIn
About my career
I chose to study at Manchester Met for the course breadth and variety of modules, the flexibility of learning options and its reputation. Manchester Met stood out for its strong emphasis on practical application and research in psychology, providing an ideal environment to integrate these insights with my commercial and educational background. The course has been invaluable in shaping my approach to fostering meaningful connections and effective leadership in my professional career. I was a mature student and looking to move towards learning, development, and enablement in tech. I had previously enjoyed a 10-year career leading commercial growth of key accounts for sportswear companies, so this move was something of a career transition.
Currently, I am the Customer Development Director at a climate tech start-up, who have built a software to predict carbon impact of every design choice in early stage building design. It has been my role to develop the go-to-market strategy, win the first early adopters, own the revenue for the business and represent this hugely impactful software to ensure it becomes an integral part of design teams’ sustainability toolkit.
In my psychology course at Manchester Met, I gained valuable skills in understanding human behaviour, effective communication, critical thinking, and empathy. These skills have been instrumental in my career, particularly in leadership, coaching, and mentoring roles, allowing me to connect deeply with colleagues and clients, drive meaningful innovations, and foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment.
I believe whole heartedly in a life-long approach to learning. I am currently evolving my sustainability knowledge through the IEMA Certificate in Environmental Management and hope to work towards chartership.
My top tip for students
Talk to people, ask for introductions, and focus on the combination of skills, values and characters which are unique to you and how they would benefit the company you want to join.
I’m inspired by
All the new innovation we are seeing, particularly spin-offs from many universities providing solutions to problems which could change the world.
Why I love Manchester Met
The support of the tutors and flexible approach to learning, I was pregnant with my second child and working full time when I started this master’s and Manchester Met were superb in their approach to ensuring I was well supported.