Arjun Bilkhu

Initially, I began my journey as a Work Experience student at Hutchison 3G UK LTD, Three. I had the opportunity to learn, understand, and experience different departments in the head office, including Business Continuity, Information Security, Transformation and Customer Experience. It was an eye opening experience which allowed me to gain valuable experience in a professional office-based environment. Following this, after completing my GCSE’s and A-Levels at Shenley Brook End School, I enrolled onto the 4-year BSc Marketing degree at Aston University, where I spent the first 2 years gaining insights into marketing ideologies and concepts, integration and strategies. This was critically applied into multiple marketing projects including audits, evaluations and reports for global companies including Penhaligon’s, Boots, Tesla and Nike. The third year of this degree was spent on placement as a Digital Marketing Assistant at a thriving digital marketing agency, Giraffe Digital. I was able to expand my marketing expertise beyond academia to the real world, on multiple engaging tasks for real clients. During this placement I developed client progress audits and performance evaluations, built press lists and secured media coverage, created blog content for clients’ websites and executed SEO and PPC campaigns. As this placement came to an end, I still wanted to bridge the gap between placement year and my final year at university. Therefore, when the opportunity for the Tribera Academy appeared, I applied, interviewed, and shortly after was accepted onto the programme. A truly amazing experience so far, and I am excited for the next few weeks ahead.

My interest in marketing was initially sparked by my long-standing passion for sport. From a young age, I was deeply engaged with the football and wider sport industry, where I frequently encountered dynamic marketing campaigns from global brands such as Adidas, Nike and Puma. This early exposure played a significant role in shaping my career aspirations, influencing both my A-level subject choices and my decision to pursue a marketing degree at Aston University. What continues to draw me to the industry is the opportunity to connect with diverse audiences through creative campaigns and forward-thinking initiatives. 

Although I am not originally from the area, I have always felt a strong connection to Birmingham, as both of my parents were born and raised in the city. This connection inspired me to learn more about Birmingham and explore potential opportunities for university study during my application process. Through this exploration, I came to appreciate the city’s fast-growing, innovative, and dynamic creative sector, an environment that immediately captured my interest. What particularly stood out to me was the strong sense of community, where creators, agencies and businesses across the city are closely connected, both personally and professionally. As I continue to expand my knowledge of this space, it has become clear that Birmingham offers the ideal platform for me to develop, build and express my creative skills and ambitions.

The most valuable experience to date, has been having the opportunity to produce creative paid Meta Ad assets and content directly from a client brief. My preferred career within marketing would be the digital creative side, having the platform and space to express creative skills for a living, therefore being involved in this experience was truly valuable. I was able to understand what it is like to breakdown a client brief, and transform that initial idea and vision into real creative assets.  

In 2–3 years, I see myself working in the marketing industry, applying the theories and skills I’ve developed at university to real-world projects. I am aiming to be part of a creative and driven team where I can contribute to inspirational strategic marketing campaigns, content creation, and audience engagement. I’m particularly interested in digital marketing and creative design, and I hope to grow my expertise in these areas. My goal is to take on increasing responsibility, continue learning from experienced professionals, and begin leading smaller projects. Ultimately, I want to make a meaningful impact and grow into a confident marketing professional.

I am most interested in the creative and design-focused side of marketing, transforming initial ideas into real, visual campaigns. I enjoy looking at how design influences consumer perception and helps shape a brand’s identity across various platforms. I'm particularly passionate about areas such as content creation, digital campaigns, and visual branding. These elements allow me to combine strategic thinking with creativity, and I’m continuously developing my skills in tools like Adobe Creative Suite and Canva. I find it rewarding to bring ideas to life in a way that captures attention and drives engagement.

One thing that could surprise people, is that I am a qualified beginner and intermediate level parkour and gymnastics coach. For the past 4 years, I have worked part-time at Gymfinity Kids - Milton Keynes, and have taken hundreds of classes with kids from ages from preschool through to secondary school age groups.The role has allowed me to further develop transferable skills including effective communication, teamwork and organisation, which can all be advantageous when working within the marketing landscape.