Gordon Robertson

BA (Hons) in Business Studies

Tell me more about your job and what a typical day looks like?

That’s one of the beauties of my job - there isn’t a typical day.

You have a to do list first thing in the morning, but you never really know whether you’re going to get through.  

That makes it interesting and exciting, but also frustrating! I love it though and I wouldn’t change it. There’s always something happening.

There’s a lot going on to help Edinburgh Airport grow right now, it must be an exciting time to work there?

Absolutely. Airports are funny places, there’s a strong team ethic and it gets under your skin.

You really feel like you’re contributing to Scotland, its growth and the economy.

It must be quite an all-consuming job?

We run a 24-hour media on call facility. The cycle of rolling news means you have to be available at any time.

It’s constant, but that’s good. It’s exciting and you just take it as part and parcel of the job. The phone could ring at any time and you have to be able to react.

Tell me about your time at Abertay?

I started at the Dundee Institute of Technology and it became Abertay University part way into my time there. I did a Business Studies degree in 1991, finishing in 1995.

The degree at Abertay was exactly what I wanted. It explored a lot of things and allowed you to pick your path. I met a great group of people, made great friends and worked hard.

I think it stood me in good stead - particularly in communications – to be able to understand all of the things we learned. I still draw down on parts of it - it’s been really useful.

It must have been interesting to study here during that transition period?

It was, and it was really good for us. It was interesting to be there at the start and to see how it’s grown is fantastic.

I’m always proud to say I’m from Abertay.

What advice do you have for our current students?

The job market is very competitive, but if you’ve got a degree you’ve clearly worked hard. You shouldn’t underestimate your ability and you shouldn’t get downhearted.

I think it’s good to have a focus on what you want to do and make sure you can tell a story about yourself with passion and examples to back it up. That makes you stand out from the crowd.