Matthew Cochrane (BBA, 2012, Lonsdale) tells how his time at Lancaster and the real life business experiences which were part of the course have taught him how to navigate the challenges he has encountered in his career to date.

"I arrived at Lancaster in 2008 to study Management, drawn by the campus and the sense of community it offered. What I didn’t expect was how much those four years would shape not just my career, but the way I navigate every challenge that’s come since.

Lancaster taught me to think commercially but also critically. The Management School pushed us beyond theory - into real business case studies and problems, covering a breadth of topics that’s helped me become a strong generalist.

It was also where I discovered I was capable of more than I thought. I rowed for the university - early, cold mornings on the river that taught me what it means to commit to something uncomfortable for the reward of getting better. That same mentality led me, years later, to a relay swim across the English Channel, climb Mt Kilimanjaro and complete multiple Ironman triathlons.

During my work placement I went into financial services purely by chance. I spent years building experience across different roles. Learning what good leadership looks like, what bad leadership costs, and how to navigate organisations that were finding their way. Now I’m the COO of Fairlo, a Swedish fintech which is doing one of the hardest things in financial services: becoming a fully regulated bank. The skills I learnt at Lancaster University - how to lead through uncertainty, how to leverage data, how to market a product - show up every single day.

Earlier this year I stood on the red dot at TEDxUniversityofCrete in front of 500 people and gave a talk called The Navigator Mindset. Five lessons for surviving uncharted waters, from 13-degree seas to boardroom storms. It was the culmination of everything, the degree, the sport, the startup all distilled into 18 minutes.

The talk is built around a piece of advice my Dad gave me when I was 15. He looked me in the eye and said: ‘Whatever you do…don’t be a lemon.’ I had no idea what he meant at the time. That became the first lesson. But the second, there’s always one more hill, is the one Lancaster quietly instilled in me. The University, the rowing, the friendships, the cold Lancaster mornings after a night at The Carlton or the Sugarhouse…none of it was easy. All of it was worth it.

The talk celebrates the journey that shapes us all. That the finish line is an illusion and the true prize is the character forged during the struggle.

If I could tell a current Lancaster student one thing, it would be this: get in the water before you feel ready. Join the society. Take the placement. Talk to the person standing alone by the window. Don’t wait for perfect conditions.

And whatever you do…don’t be a lemon".

The Navigator Mindset talk is available to watch at