TOMÁŠ PETREK
Role: Executive Director Area: Marketing Employer: GoBigname; former: Mettler Toledo GmbH
What can I help my mentee with?
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During enrolment day at UCT Prague, Tomáš was interested in the presentation of the IAESTE association, which he decided to join on his first day. He sees the experience he gained in the association as crucial for his future career direction. It gave him the chance to try working on projects, marketing and negotiating with companies. He worked his way up to the leadership of the local centre and to the position of coordinator of the job fair iKariéra, the biggest event at the school at the time, with six months of preparation, which was a turning point for him. After graduating from UCT, Tomáš tried different jobs to see if his path would lead him to materials chemistry and engineering or rather to management, which he was close to thanks to his activity in IAESTE.
An important experience for him was a product-marketing position in Zurich in Mettler Toledo, a multinational company producing laboratory equipment. Within this position he used the knowledge he gained in UCT, but at the same time this experience led him further down the management path. He currently works as the managing director of the branding studio GoBigname. They help companies create visual identities and names, their goal is to help local companies gain success in the global marketplace. So even though he eventually left the field of chemistry, he says that what he took away from UCT, is an invaluable ability to think analytically that he uses every day at work.
For several years now, Tomáš has been devoting his free time to imparting experience and developing students by organising workshops and lecturing at university conferences. His mission is to help people find what they enjoy and learn how to use it. "We live in a world where we spend 70% of our time at work. I want to meet as many people as possible who have found themselves doing something they really want to do."