Spotlight on... Dr Christian Kusi-Obodum

What is your role and what does it involve?

I work in the CRM team in Communications and Marketing (CAM). In short, my team manages prospective students' data and sends targeted communications to them. We support prospective student events too, sending communications and capturing registration data. It’s a very varied role: you have to be ready to combine techie troubleshooting skills with wordsmithing and awareness of language and tone. There’s also a lot of relationship building across the organisation, which I enjoy too.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I have been at UCL for just over a year. Previously I was working in a marketing and PR agency, where my principal clients were advertising technology providers. We’re in the midst of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, one driven by automation. So I see my work as an important space for me to be part of this transformation.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

There’s nothing like seeing a report you’ve written appear on the front page of The Times. Wearing my PR hat in my last role, I crafted the copy for a whitepaper on ATM crime, which the newspaper ran as a news story. Languages and communications have been at the heart of my studies and career, so this has to be the natural peak of those skills coming together.

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?

One of my main projects at the moment is to co-ordinate the annual updating of the automated emails we send to prospective students. It’s quite a big job, spanning eleven faculties and their departments. I work with colleagues across the university to make sure emails display correctly, are tested and proofed, and the system has to be configured so that they fire correctly to reach their audience. It’s a team effort, and I’ve gone all out on MS Teams/SharePoint spreadsheets this year to make the process run as smoothly as possible.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

Favourite album: Settle, by Disclosure – that’s my groove.
Favourite film: The Mummy (1999) – that’s my inner child speaking.
Favourite novel: Frankenstein – all about the classics.

What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?

The past, the present and the future walked into a bar. Things got tense.

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

Craig David – he’s very friendly from what I’ve heard. And Peter Andre as well. It would be a super sociable affair.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Remember that despite best made plans, life will throw you a complete curveball every now and then – embrace the dynamism!

What would it surprise people to know about you?

I can bring out some conversational Japanese if the occasion calls for it.

What is your favourite place?

Toledo, Spain – simply the best.