30572_Kao Data Critical Careers_Pages - Flipbook - Page 30
How did you get into the tech industry?
started with a degree in geography, which had nothing to do with
tech—it was just my favorite subject. My 昀椀rst job after university was
as a trainee chartered accountant, but due to a recession at the time,
my start date was delayed. I ended up doing temp work in a role at BT
working on internal comms around sustainability and recycling.
I
After going back to accountancy to begin my trainee role,
I realised very quickly it wasn’t the right 昀椀t for me. The
experience at BT helped me recognise that I was good at
comms, so I decided to pursue a career in PR.
I ended up in tech PR, largely due to the timing—the
dot-com bubble was in full swing in 2000, and there
were plenty of tech PR jobs. On the face of it, it wasn’t
glamorous work compared to consumer or travel PR,
but that’s how I stumbled into the industry. It was a steep
learning curve, especially since it was B2B tech, which was
complex and speci昀椀c. But getting that job with Johnson
King was a life-changing moment for me.
Claire Ayles
Owner,
Eleven Hundred Agency
30
