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We're a small team based in Maidstone, and we're dedicated to helping match students and graduates with Kent's top employers. If you have any questions about GradsKent and the services on offer, please feel free to get in touch.

Ann Hopkins - Graduate Services Manager

Ann is a true Maid of Kent who has worked for the county council for nearly five years. In this time, she has managed the Kent Graduate Programme and transformed it into a leading route into top public sector careers. Since 2010, Ann has also taken on the GradsKent project and she is looking forward helping many more talented graduates into work.

Ann has travelled the world and was so inspired that she nearly emigrated to Australia, but luckily for us she opted to lead a life of public service in Kent instead. She keeps everyone in the office laughing with stories of her esoteric hobbies, which include glass-blowing and painting. On the flip-side, she can't stand the colour pink and has banned its use in the office.

Nadia Lawes - GradsKent Project Officer

Nadia started working in Kent in 2009 when she was accepted onto Kent County Council's Graduate Programme. She held roles in Corporate Policy, Libraries & Archives and Waste Management before applying for the role of GradsKent Project Manager. She has a particular interest in online communications and, of course, graduate employment.

Her past studies have been quite unconventional and she's especially proud of her Egyptology degree. Now Nadia's delighted to be making a difference as part of the GradsKent team. She loves her jewellery and shoe collections, and likes to reward herself with a glass of red wine after she's been for a long jog.

 Alison Daragon - Kent Graduate Programme Project Officer

Ali has a huge amount of experience working in recruitment. In the past, she's held glamorous roles with House of Fraser and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and she's worked as a Recruitment Administrator and Personnel Officer for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. More recently, she's played a crucial role helping to run Kent County Council's Graduate Programme.

She always brightens up the room with her smile and her funky jewellery. She likes eating out, travelling and an evening at the theatre. She spent a long time working very hard to avoid being caught on camera! 

Sam Newing - Graduate Services Sales Assistant

Sam is is one of our dedicated salesman who liaises with local employers to encourage them to offer graduate roles. He has a background in sales and customer-facing roles, and we're keen to test his cocktail mixing skills from his years as a barman.

Sam is proud of his history degree and is keen to help other graduates find work in the county. If you speak to him you should tread sensitively around the subject of football, especially if Tottenham have recently lost a game. Sam also plays for his local team, and often comes into the office with the battle scars he’s picked up on the pitch. Despite this, he’s always upbeat, making jokes, and keeping the rest of us on our toes.

Tom Oulton - Graduate Services Sales Assistant

Tom is the newest member of the team and joined us after registering with GradsKent himself. He’s a graduate of the University of Liverpool where he completed an M.A. in Politics and Mass Media.

Tom works alongside Sam to contact local employers and manage the vacancies that you see on GradsKent. Although Tom spent his 6th form at a Kent school, he’s now relocated all the way from Lancashire to join us. It does mean that he misses out on some of the matches he could go to as an Everton season ticket holder, but he makes up for it by talking extensively about football with Sam. Outside of work, Tom plays football himself and jogs to keep fit, and charms everyone he speaks to with his Lancastrian lilt.