Milan Nandha
Since graduating from Queen Mary with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017, Milan Nandha has built a career in design, innovation and strategy, working with a variety of companies from Lloyds Bank to Camden Town Brewery.
He is currently working for Virgin Media O2, heading up the Innovation Team. In his spare time, Milan mentors founders of start-ups, and runs a not-for-profit design agency.
“My role involves leading the inception, concept development and testing of new consumer propositions that combine emerging tech with new commercial models and experiential innovation. This could be in mobile, fibre, tv or anything else that the business is interested in exploring. The other part of my role involves scouting for startups and investment opportunities, in partnership with our venture capital firm.
Looking back, my Mechanical Engineering degree has supported me by establishing a good foundation of working through complex technical problems. It also helped with developing an analytical and data-driven way of thinking.”
Choosing engineering
"I always enjoyed physics, but I felt it lacked an aspect of human centricity. Engineering offered a number of different modules which encompassed entrepreneurialism, manufacture, design, robotics - all things which made the course more interesting to me."
My time at Queen Mary
"The thing I miss most about Queen Mary is the social aspect. It was great, because the university offered aspects of campus life, but with all the benefits of being in central London."
My proudest achievement
"Other than being interviewed by the Financial Times about financial innovation, I am most proud of developing a proposition for a venture builder, which is now one of the fastest-growing renewable energy businesses."