Alumnus Richard Edge delivers TEDx talk

Richard Edge (Law and Management 2006) accomplished a personal career highlight when he delivered a TEDx talk on The Truth About Career Development.

Since graduating Richard went on to have a successful career in HR and people development, which included working across a wide range of sectors including a number of senior roles in the NHS. He then became a HR thought leader and strategic executive in the Middle East, working with a broad range of senior professionals including Heads of State, Diplomats, and Global CEO’s.

Richard’s passion is to help people in building their professional relationships and maximising their own potential. He also acts as a volunteer mentor including for the Business School’s Nurturing Talent Mentor Scheme, where he has been a mentor for 3 years.

In 2020 he returned to the UK and founded his own company Careerships with a vision of creating accessible, people-focused career support for those that want to really take action and give themselves the best possible chance of having a rewarding career. Careerships now works with individuals across 31 different countries and has won awards for its innovative approach to career dynamics and helping people progress.

“It was a dream of mine”, commented Richard when talking about his TEDx talk. “I placed it on my vision board almost two years ago, and now I'm thrilled to say that I've achieved it. If there's something you've been dreaming of doing, I encourage you to take the first step towards making it a reality.”

In his talk Richard shared real-life stories of individuals who faced challenges in their careers and how they overcame them to progress. “I hope my message on career progression and achieving your dreams will inspire others to take action.”

Be curious, be teachable, be mentored and these skills will give you a great building block for future career success.

He also had a message for Leeds University Business School students: “My message to Leeds University Business School undergraduates and alumni is to be bold when growing your network - go to places you don’t necessarily belong, and learn as much as you can from others to help shape your own knowledge and ideas. Be curious, be teachable, be mentored and these skills will give you a great building block for future career success”.

Richard’s talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organised by a local community. TEDx is a grassroots initiative, created in the spirit of TED’s overall mission to research and discover “ideas worth spreading.” TEDx brings the spirit of TED to local communities around the globe through TEDx events.

Find out more about the achievements of our Alumni community.