Luton graduate runs multi-million-pound company

Tony Nicholls, Managing Director of Furmanite International, reckons he wouldn't be where he is today had he not graduated from the University of Luton.

Originally from Hemel Hempstead, Tony Nicholls is now the Managing Director of Furmanite International, a GBP 24 million engineering company in Cumbria.

Nicholls graduated in 1995 from the University of Luton and has a lot of praise for the time he spent there.

"I was 31 when I started at the University of Luton".

"I'd completed two Higher National Certificate (HNC) qualifications as well as an Ordinary National Certificate (ONC) but I just couldn't break into a senior management role".

"I studied part-time for my degree while I worked for British Gas for four years which was hard work but so worth it".

"I was travelling to Luton and all over the place with work so needless to say it was tiring".

"But when I graduated in 1995 I was offered the position of General Manager of IPSCO, a pipeline services company based in Scunthorpe".

"I wouldn't have even been considered for this job without my degree, so straight away it felt like the four years of hard slog had been worth while".

"My degree gave me the chance to learn how to be on both sides of the fence - I could work with a hands-on approach, as well as dealing with management issues and problems as a director".

"So although it was a difficult thing to do part-time, in the long run it was completely worth doing." Furmanite International services a wide variety of industries with an array of industrial services.

Furmanite's customers include industries such as refining, chemical, nuclear, steel, and oil and gas.

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