James Onyema-Mathews

Working currently as a Junior Press Officer at Arup, James has over a year of experience working in Public Relations and Public Affairs. James prioritises his professional development and has gained valuable work experience from prestigious legal firms, he has also partaken in a 7-week summer PR training programme with the Taylor Bennett Foundation. Some key skills that James has developed include, effective communication, commercial awareness, resilience, teamwork and organisational skills.

Employment History 

Junior Press Officer

Arup, London, UK (October 2022 – Present)

Beginning his career at global sustainable development consultancy Arup, which was nominated #8 in Glassdoor’s ‘Best Places to Work’ 2023 list, James has been fortunate enough to learn from some of the best professionals in their field. From shadowing senior colleagues in BBC interviews to publishing articles on Arup.com, James has transferable skills that can be applied to a variety of industries. 

As a Junior Press Officer, James has written articles on key topics such the transformation of the Scottish galleries at the National, as well as Arup winning the Scottish Design Awards. James has also pitched, written and secured multiple media opportunities with trade outlets such as Construction News. James understands the importance of maintaining daily habits such as being organised, communication skills and paying attention to detail as these skills correlate with high quality results.

Other Experience

Taylor Bennett Foundation Summer PR Training Programme, London, UK (July 2022 – August 2022)

After finishing his final term at University, James partook in a 7-week summer programme led by the Taylor Bennett Foundation which specialised in Public Relations. James was interested to learn more about the PR industry following his graduation and wanted to develop key transferable skills early on in his career. James was able to develop his communication and networking skills and participated in workshops with companies such as BT, LinkedIn, Brunswick and Arup. James improved his attention to detail and research skills through doing tasks such as media monitoring and weekly news roundups. At the end of the programme, in pairs candidates had to do presentations, this experience helped James improve his teamworking and public speaking skills.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP Insights Work Experience Programme, London, UK (April 2021)

The Freshfields LLP Insights Programme consisted of various workshops aimed at familiarising selected candidates with the legal sector. The programme taught James how to secure a training contract as well as understand what recruiters are looking for, James also learnt how to best approach interviews to ensure of success. James is grateful to have gained such valuable experience and have found it useful so far in his professional career.

Anthony Gold Solicitors, Streatham, London, UK (June – July 2018)

Work experience at Anthony Gold Solicitors allowed James to learn how to communicate effectively with clients both in person and over the phone. Shadowing senior colleagues allowed James to gain an insight into the legal profession as a whole and being present in meetings allowed him to understand how proper process is conducted. James was responsible for handling data which meant that he had to pay a significant amount of attention to detail during his time at Anthony Gold. Overall, this work experience significantly fuelled James’ aspiration to one day work in the legal sector.

RSO Solicitors, London, UK (June - July 2017)

RSO Solicitors was James’ first work experience and his first time working in the legal sector. James always had a passion for legal and beginning his career at RSO Solicitors meant that James was able to shadow professionals within this sector. James learnt the importance of maintaining confidentiality with clients and understood that being organised is key to having a successful long-term career regardless of industry you work in.

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Politics and International Relations (Upper Second-Class Honours, 2:1) 

University of Kent, Canterbury, UK (2019-2022) 

3 A Levels – Government and Politics, Religious Studies, Music Technology

Langley Park School for Boys, London, UK (2017 – 2019) 

9 GCSEs A*- C, including English and Maths

Bonus Pastor Catholic College, London, UK (2012- 2017)