Paulette Elliott and Harris Academy Tottenham were successfully connected via a HiH-sponsored guest talk this month, furthering HATO’s ‘Perspectives’ and ‘Enrichment’ sessions.
By Omar Alleyne-Lawler, Communications and Police Engagement Manager
HiH Mentoring oversaw the successful delivery of a guest talk last week when Huduma Founder and Managing Director, Paulette Elliott visited HiH schools’ partner, Harris Academy Tottenham.
Hope in Haringey Director, John Wood MBE & Huduma Managing Director, Paulette Elliott field questions from students
Speaking with the Year 12 cohort across two, one-hour sessions, the technology consultancy MD shared with learners stories from her educational journey and professional background in an inspiring career-minded talk.
Outlining the unorthodox pathway of her career, Paulette detailed her journey from being an early school leaver to Marketing Executive, Open University Graduate, Systems Engineer and eventually Founder and Managing Director. In this journey, Paulette explained the importance of continually seeking development over being satisfied with immediate successes. “I did not have a great schooling experience … but I always looked for opportunities to learn” Paulette explained. “By applying myself, making a strategy and knowing what I needed to learn […] I was able to use my soft skills to move from marketing into being a systems engineer – which is a totally different field.”
For interested students, Paulette hosted a seminar that went into further detail about the beekeeping project.
Having travelled the world during her 30-year career, implementing systems for major telecoms companies, space flight, commercial drone operators and television networks; Paulette has risen to become a Founder and MD of Huduma.
Based in the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, Huduma is a member of the Harwell Space Cluster and is a neighbour to the European Space Agency.
However, despite climbing the corporate ladder, Paulette is still keen to give back to young people and invest in their futures. Unveiling her latest project which sees Beekeepers utilise IoT sensors to improve hive monitoring and efficiency, HATO students have been invited to participate in the new academic year.
However, HATO will not be alone in receiving this invitation. Currently scheduled to visit Waltham Forest College, Hope in Haringey and Paulette aim to invite other HiH partner schools and colleges. This innovative project will see students work in teams to create groundbreaking solutions for local Beekeepers. For students, this experience can be cited as work experience, giving them an edge in university and work applications.