James Cunningham

Background

About James Cunningham

Currently: In July, I began a 12-month internship with RUCKUS Networks as an Internal Account Manager, supporting the sales and marketing team. I'm currently developing my skills in B2B sales, account management, and business development while gaining hands-on experience in the tech and connectivity sector. I'm particularly interested in how Wi-Fi and enterprise networking solutions impact modern businesses, and I'm keen to grow in the tech sales space — improving my ability to engage customers, build relationships, and by helping the ISP team reach revenue targets by identifying and bringing in new business. University Studies & Life: Recently, I graduated from the University of Manchester with a 2:1 in Business Management and Spanish. As part of my degree, I spent a year teaching English for the British Council in a remote, mountainous, yet beautiful Basque village of Azkoitia, commuting daily to and from the lush culinary capital of San Sebastián. This experience worked wonders for personal development as choosing to spend the year teaching in a remote town in Spain was somewhat of a leap of faith. However, I wanted to spend my time engaging with the locals and becoming a valued member of a community, whilst earning enough money to support my appreciation for tapas y cervezas. Between semesters and alongside my university studies, I worked in hospitality to develop my interpersonal skills. This was a great way for me to keep myself financially sound, make some great friends and bartend in premium hospitality settings, such as the very scenic Bedruthan Hotel bar in Mawgan Porth and Deansgate's Hilton lobby bar in Manchester. Studying at Alliance Manchester Business School provided me with a well-rounded and practical understanding of business in a global context. I had the chance to work on team-based projects that looked at finding solutions to many contemporary issues, such as racial disparities in maternal care, thus I was able to develop my commercial awareness and problem-solving skills. I also benefitted from the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, which encouraged me to grow my own raw ideas into fully formed business plans, aided by inspiring teachers and industry professionals. Finally, the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures allowed me to become a proficient user of Spanish language, which I hope to continue improving upon. Studying at UoM and living in Manchester was an opportunity I will always be grateful for and it has opened the door to so many fantastic opportunities and experiences.