Katerina Karagianni
- Course: MA Advertising and Marketing
- Year of graduation: 2005
- Nationality: Greek
- Job title: Affiliate Director
- Company: Linkwise
Graduating with a distinction in 2005, Katerina decided to study for her Masters at the Business School because of the course’s emphasis on advertising, and the University’s reputation.
She felt that the course offered a good balance between the creative and the business side of marketing and her proudest achievement from her time at the Business School was having her dissertation published in The Public Relations Review.
When Katerina first started the course she wanted to work for well-known brands, to get involved in significant projects and to be part of highly motivated teams. Since graduating she has set up two successful businesses called Days4u and Linkwise which have already worked with large Greek and European brands.
She says ‘I was pleasantly surprised when I realised that we were gaining very practical knowledge that could be applied to the real world whilst learning about the theory and foundations of marketing and advertising. I left the Business School feeling I had gained real “expertise” in certain areas and that feeling led to me pursuing the career I have today.’
Originally from Greece, Katerina had no problem settling into Leeds and describes the city as ‘a great place to live in as a student, there is always something to do and it is a great base for travelling around the UK.’
Katerina enjoyed living in Leeds, meeting people from all parts of the world and making friendships that she still holds today. She describes the facilities and staff as excellent and benefited from the stimulating environment.
Katerina plans for the future are to remain self employed and to build a reputation for excellence in her chosen area, particularly with Linkwise, and would like to establish herself as an expert in performance and online marketing. She is positive that her experience from Leeds will help her do so.
Katerina would definitely recommend the Business School to other students ‘as there was a great sense of being part of a group that has come together for the same goal, which was to learn more, work hard but also enjoy the fantastic experience.’