09/12/2025
🎓 Alumni Spotlight
Name: Alex Brown
Degree title from University of Lincoln (UoL): Business and Finance
Year of Graduation: 2021
Employer: Bristow Group
Role: Pilot
1. What have you been doing professionally since graduating from the University of Lincoln? Could you describe your day-to-day responsibilities?
After leaving the university and completing a masters in Public Relations I have completed my commercial pilot's licence and now work as a Helicopter pilot in the North Sea. Day to day we take offshore oil and gas workers from Aberdeen Airport to their place of work, whether it be oil rigs or ships, sometimes up to 150 miles offshore. The aircraft I'm currently flying is the Sikorsky S-92A which requires 2 pilots to operate and holds 19 passengers. Working as a crew our main responsibility is safety, following set procedures and standard communication methods allows us to lower the risk of our operation and increase safety.
2. Can you name a University of Lincoln module or an AFE extra-curricular activity (e.g., Business Society, LSMIF) that has significantly contributed to your career or that you frequently utilise in your job?
I often took part in social events, around the local taverns, with the Lincoln Business Society where I met new people who I would sometimes be working alongside in a group project during a group project. These skills of socialising have unexpectedly come into fruition while working with Bristow. Some flights further offshore can lead to us having an extended period in the cruise, this means there is often opportunity to speak as a crew about non-task subjects e.g. our personal lives or more commonly the local places of choice for food and drink. With CRM being a hugely important subject in aviation I find this social aspect of the job often leads to improved synergy between the crew.
3. If you could use a time machine and go back to your time at the University of Lincoln, what one piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
I'd probably say ensure there is more of a balance between working hard and enjoying yourself (perhaps slightly less time researching the local pubs!). I’d also tell myself to believe the people who said that university would be the quickest years of my life.
4. What do you miss the most about your time at the University of Lincoln?
Definitely the friends I made during my time at UoL. Now we've all finished university we don't get to see each other nearly as often. I also really enjoyed the city itself, I thought it was a brilliant place to live and it had everything in close proximity!
5. If you could switch careers with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
I'd love to spend a day in investment banking to put some of the skills learned during my degree into practice although it definitely seems like a high pressure but rewarding job. If not this then definitely a steam train driver!
