Student Profile - Petrina Johnson

"I was born in India to Anglo-Indian parents and did my A’ Levels before coming to the UK to study Hospitality Business Management here at UCB.

I’ve grabbed all of the opportunities made available to me during my course, I did my placement at The Marriott Hotel in Chicago and on my return I was chosen by the Savoy Society to be part of their mentor scheme; since then been mentored by Julian Tomlin, General Manager of Pennyhill Park Hotel and Spa in Surrey. We discuss career plans and moves by email or telephone every couple of weeks.

I have also been working part-time at the Malmaison Birmingham hotel through my studies and was thrilled to have been chosen as one of their ‘Rising Stars of the Future’

A further accolade came when I was selected for the finals of Young Guns and visited London for the competition; Malmaison sponsored me and put me up in one of their hotels for the night. The finals consisted of Champagne and networking reception at the Savoy Hotel, then the lunch: where Young Gun finalists stay in one seat during the four courses and the judges move around to talk to them.

I’m currently completing my dissertation which will be a Case Study at Malmaison on the effectiveness of managers doing HR and deciding where my career will be taking me."