Featured Alumni
..
Gaia Trussardi – Richmond Alumni & Visiting Professor
Gaia Trussardi is the Creative Director of Trussardi Group for which she supervises all creative aspects, from the conception and development of the collections to style and advertising campaigns. Gaia joined her parents in the family business at a very young age. Over the years, she has worked in all areas of the company’s creative and production process – from materials selection to stylistic decisions – gaining great
entrepreneurial expertise and perfecting her trend-setting approach. Gaia Trussardi is currently a member of the Board of Administration of the group.
Gaia, who earned a degree in Sociology and Anthropology obtained at Richmond the American University in London, London where she lived for years, is a keen observer of lifestyles and trends in various cultural areas such as fashion, society, communications, and music. She has recently agreed to become a Visiting Professor at Richmond University.
Trussardi in the news
Perry Stamp
Studying at Richmond gave me the opportunity to get an international perspective on international relations. In my opinion, many U.S. universities offer degree programs which are heavily U.S.-centric and fail to present opportunities for students to gain an understanding of the numerous other issues, perspectives, and areas in the field of IR. Richmond excels at bringing together people from various backgrounds, forcing them to confront preconceived ideas about each other and about the world in which we live. In my first year at Richmond, I had ten different professors from seven different countries and classmates from dozens more. Coming from a small town in the mid-western U.S., this experience alone was profound. Not to mention living in London. Never before in my life had I been surrounded by such diversity.
Another advantage of Richmond is the access that students have to their professors. Being small, Richmond’s professors are able to develop meaningful connections with the students and offer one-on-one mentorship. I can’t stress enough how helpful it was to be able to show up at office hours and talk through complicated issues or to get advice about internships and careers. It made all the difference.
Today, I am a Foreign Service Officer (diplomat) with the U.S. State Department posted to our consulate in São Paulo, Brazil. My job is to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives while building strong and meaningful business, cultural, and personal relationships between the United States and Brazil.
Without a doubt, Richmond is responsible for building the foundation on which my career has been built. I would not be where I am today without the knowledge I gained there, both inside and outside the classroom.
To read our interview with Tom, please click here.
Dounia Saadi Drissi
Dounia graduated from Richmond University in 2016 after studying MBA. She is currently an Associate at Ernst and Young in Paris.
My year at Richmond was very exciting in both the learning and the social aspects. The small class size made it easier to make connections, switching from classmates to good friends. I had the opportunity to take very interesting courses, held by some of the best faculty members, I had the chance to learn from until now.
My Richmond experience has granted me the chance to develop skills and competencies such as multitasking, teamwork and rigour. At the same time, it has encouraged me to grab each and every opportunity, to do more and be more, a mindset that is incredibly valuable in both the workplace and elsewhere, and I am so grateful for that.
Ryan Baldry
Ryan Baldry graduated from Richmond University in December 2014 after studying International Relations. In the months before graduation, Ryan was already working part time for the Conservative Party in Westminster. Upon graduation, Ryan worked full time on the General Election campaign in May 2015 which resulted in a Conservative win. Since May, Ryan has been Parliamentary Assistant to David Mackintosh MP (CON, Northampton South) where some of his duties are research, speech writing, press, correspondence and admin. Ryan has also been able to establish a cross-party Parliamentary group for Ending Homeless which brings together Members of Parliament, Peers in the House of Lords and key charities in the sector in order to bring about an end to homelessness. Recently, Ryan has also travelled to Israel and Palestine as part of a cross-party UK Parliamentary delegation to see for himself the situation that is unfolding there.
Tessy De Nassau
Tessy De Nassau graduated with a BA in International Relations from RAIUL in 2014 and a Masters in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS in 2015. She is currently the Global Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls for UNAIDS (Geneva), an Associate Fellow in the Global Health Department at Chatham House (London), a Trauma Therapist at Groupe de Support Psychologique (Luxembourg), as well as one of the co-founders and executive members at Professors without Borders. Among other activities, Tessy also participates with many other charitable organisations and frequently presents at various international conferences and summits all around the world. In the past, Tessy was an officer in the Luxembourg Army – having participated in the peacekeeping mission in ex-Yugoslavia – and the Luxembourg Representative at the NATO Allied Command Transformation Conference. She has also worked at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Geneva and London.
Rami Suleiman
Rami graduated from Richmond in 2008 with a BA in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Rami worked for Richmond within the Middle East recruitment and Admission team between 2009 and 2010 and now works as the Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator at Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi.
Rami was interested in coming to Richmond because of its diverse culture and his own desire to live and study in London. He chose to study a major in marketing because he enjoys the creative processes involved in the development of new ideas.
“For me, Richmond is characterised by the friendly atmosphere of campus life and the diversity of its’ student body. Most importantly, I feel that a key advantage to Richmond’s education and culture is the one-to-one relationships that students develop with their professors.”
Rami highly recommends Richmond to prospective students and encourages them to come and experience the University for themselves.
Sanjay Raya
Sanjay was honoured for his achievements at Richmond by representing his class at the 2011 graduation providing the student farewell address. An academically strong student, Sanjay worked for a Summa Cum Laude US honours and First Class BA (Hons) UK degree. He co-founded the Richmond International Action Network, a charitable organisation assisting local economic growth in developing nations and became a Resident Advisor, supporting the welfare of students living on campus.
After Richmond, Sanjay completed postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science whilst simultaneously completing a work placement with the Chief Shadow Secretary to the Treasury in Parliament. He is now working at the National Audit Office scrutinising the UK government’s public spending on behalf of Parliament.
“The quality of teaching at Richmond was exceptional. I acquired practical tools that equipped me to further my studies via a post-graduate degree. As a Master’s student at the London School of Economics it has prepared me to engage with my work and has equipped me with the skills to cope with the fast paced environment of the LSE. The teaching style at Richmond was very interactive. Lecturers were very engaging, approachable and helpful and small classroom sizes made it easy to engage with peers and professors. The course elements gave me the ability to create and start various initiatives due to the unique make-up of the University. My Richmond experience allowed me to explore my interests and I was able to determine where my passion and strengths lie, which completely changed my perspective and career path.”
Aleksandra Kordecka
Alexsandra joined Richmond in 2000 and graduated with a BA (Hons) International Relations in 2002. She later obtained an MSc European Politics and Governance from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2004. Aleksandra currently works at the European Commission, Directorate General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries as an International Relations Officer.
“When I signed up for Richmond little did I realize what an exceptional experience this would be; a multi-cultural bubble with fantastic faculty and inspiring students, all in the heart of London. The three years I spent at Richmond were not only invaluable but laid a strong foundation for both my personal development and professional career. From an academic standpoint, the quality of teaching and range of courses on offer as well as the diverse inputs from its international students, all contribute to making Richmond superior to many of the top European universities. My own experience of Richmond was enriched with the discovery of many cultures and people from backgrounds so different from my own, as well as helping me to develop a confidence in expressing my own opinions. Life will never be the same after Richmond – and one can only be glad that it won’t”.
Tom Huckabee
Tom Huckabee is a writer and producer who has spent his career in Hollywood. He was in Richmond in 1973 as part of the Study Abroad Programme.
To read our interview with Tom, please click here.
Avi Khachane
Avi graduated from Richmond in 2009 with a degree in International Business and a minor in Finance. Avi is well on his way to success on Wall Street, via Richmond and an MBA from Yale.
To read our interview with Avi, please click here.
Bobby Chinn
Bobby Chinn (BA Business Administration and Economics 1986) is a popular culinary figure throughout Asia, both for his two highly-regarded restaurants in Vietnam in Hanoi and Saigon, and for the award-winning TV series World Café. Half Egyptian, half Chinese, born in New Zealand, educated mostly in England and California, Bobby Chinn graduated from Richmond and started out working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. He quickly realized that his ambitions were to lead him elsewhere. He lives most of the year in Vietnam and travels throughout Asia, cooking food that has been described by the Asian Wall Street Journal as ‘The best Californian cuisine outside of California’. In autumn 2013, Bobby launched a new restaurant, The House of Ho, in Soho, London, showcasing a Vietnamese menu.
To read our interview with Bobby, please click here.
J. Marina Muhlfriedel (née Joanne M. Russo)
Marina is a Senior Copywriter & Producer, Los Angeles, USA. She was at Richmond in 1972 as part of the Study Abroad programme.
To read our interview with Marina, please click here.
Cierra Saylor
Cierra graduated Richmond in 2016 with a degree in International Relations and a minor in Psychology. She has also been awarded the Thomas Pickering Scholarship to study diplomacy at the postgraduate level at George Washington University in Washington DC.
To read our interview with Cierra, please click here.
Jade Bouhmouch
Jade is currently a Senior Analyst at Merrill Lynch in San Francisco. He received his BA in International Relations from Richmond in 2012 and went on to become a consultant specializing in sourcing and evaluating private investments in the MENA region. From there, he moved to San Francisco to join Merrill Lynch in their investment advisory division. He was promoted in 2014 to Senior Analyst within the Private Banking and Investment Group and is currently portfolio manager of a long/short equity strategy and a member of his team’s Investment Committee. Jade is a charter member of the Beta Psi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and is a CFA Level 3 candidate. He was born in Casablanca, Morocco and enjoys basketball, rock climbing and travel.
