Alumni Spotlight: Benjamin Lee

Benjamin is wearing a grey suit and a purple tie. He is looking away from the camera and the photo is taken outside.

How do you turn academic setbacks into an office in Canary Wharf? According to Benjamin Lee, Assistant Director and Strategist at financial services firm Moody’s, it’s all about being intentional and having a plan for where you want to end up.

13 December 2022

Academically I always did well, but after a few personal issues my A-Levels didn’t go the way I wanted them to go. So, I took a two-year gap between A-Levels and Uni just to reframe things and make sure I was doing the things that I wanted to do, for the right reasons, for my reasons. In the end I could have chosen a different route, but this is the path I took. Academic study has always resonated with me, and I wanted to get my degree.”

Two student footballers running and tackling

During these years, Benjamin was playing a lot of football at a decent level so it’s perhaps unsurprising that he went straight for the Student’s Union and UWL’s 1st football team, becoming part of the first UWL team to ever win their league.

Benjamin would always be sat at the front during lectures, networking and connecting with others on his course and making sure to come out of every class with the answers he was looking for. It all came down to asking what he wanted life to be like. Studying business and finance, he knew qualifications would help him get ahead in that world.

I started university with the right frame of mind because it wasn’t just the next organic step for me as it would have been if A levels had gone well. It was a real choice to pursue higher education at that moment, and I’ve carried that decisiveness with me all the way through uni and beyond. I always ask myself if I’m in the position to go after what I want, think about whether I’m doing the right thing for me, and make decisions based on that.”  

Immediately out of University, Benjamin got a job working for Transport for London as a Customer Service Assistant while applying to graduate schemes and vacancies all over London. After six months, he landed his first role in the accounting sector working as an Accounts Payable Clerk for architecture and design firm Porcelanosa. Even here, however, he was looking for the next steps.

Very quickly I started to hear that voice again saying ‘You can do more! You can do better than this.’ So, I started applying and the first interview I went to was at Canon Europe for the role of Financial Analyst and I landed it.”  

Whilst at Canon, Benjamin bounced from position to position covering everything from finance to commercial planning, to strategy and project management, and lastly to sales operations. All of this was achieved by working hard, building a great foundation of knowledge on the company, competitors, operational best practice and showing people what he could do, priming him to be ready for opportunities whenever they arose.

What I learned, that shifted my approach to things, was that I could open doors for myself by showing people that I could do more and being as visible as possible. Maybe it was just maturity and being able to read the room, but I wanted to be able to prove that I was having an impact because I believed that it would serve me well. Subsequently my entire career so far has followed the same pattern. Do well in the area I was in, make connections outside of my remit, extend myself, and each time someone senior would notice my competence. You need to be an invaluable resource. Being seen as the solution to problems is quite a powerful bargaining chip.” 

Accounting and finance

We offer highly career-focused accounting and finance courses, including our ACCA-accredited BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance.

A hand clasping a pen, resting on a business document

From there, Benjamin’s reputation as a solution and valuable resource led him to Moody’s Analytics, a finance and risk expertise firm who provide financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions.

But even with all these achievements, Benjamin feels his proudest achievement is becoming a father in February 2022.

My wife also went to UWL at the same time and it’s incredible that we never crossed paths while at Uni, but now we have a son and out of everything I’m most proud of him and being a dad. That’s brought a whole new dimension to life and what’s important to me.” 

Finally, we asked Benjamin what advice he had for anyone looking to build a successful career:

I highly advise that people be intentional with what it is you’re actually doing. Almost on a day-to-day basis ask yourself what your goals are, whether you’re prepared to succeed if the opportunity came at you today, and what you can do to prepare yourself for the day the opportunity does arrive. Having these thoughts in your mind and that intentional plan can lead you in a great direction. It certainly has for me. Sometimes you must ask yourself tough questions, but if you have a plan, you’ll be able to make the right decision. I got my first glimpse of things not going to plan early on. That experience, not doing any of the things I felt like I should be doing, that was the first shock to reality that encouraged me to make a proper plan. You’re capable of doing the things you dream about, but it all starts with taking stock of where you are, and mapping out how to get to where you want to be. Be intentional.”