Chi Tran is a New Markets and Communications Manager Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate with Sysmax Ltd and UWE Bristol.
A KTP is a UK-wide, 3-way partnership between a business, a university and a talented graduate, and aims to help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity, whilst also boosting the career prospects of the Associate.
Based in Guildford, Sysmax Limited is an Enterprise Management Systems provider. They have experience in project, risk, and engineering management, which has enabled them to develop a comprehensive suite of products that help their clients evaluate competency, improve performance, and deliver compliance across their business.
Chi tells us that “Sysmax aims to enter new markets with customer demand for software systems for compliance and competency management, to reduce its dependence on its current markets of oil and gas and open-up new opportunities for innovation and growth. The vision of this KTP project is to focus on the analysis and evaluation of potential markets and co-creative product development and business model innovation. At the same time, this project will, through input and guidance from experienced academics and practitioners, develop and embed the necessary management capabilities and leadership skills required to grow the company and increase its effectiveness and productivity in a scalable and sustainable way.”
We asked Chi what a typical day as a KTP Associate was like:
“I monitor the campaign performance daily, including checking the responses from potential leads and checking open rates and click rates. Having bounced emails is inevitable, so I note down all bounced email addresses which will be forwarded to the database supplier later.
I also communicate with the marketing agencies to ensure that all marketing activities are done on time, sharing with them the product details, and helping them review the copy before we get them published on our social channels or published in magazines. As part of the KTP project, I also have weekly calls with the academics to discuss the project’s progress and ask for their advice on any challenge I face.
At Sysmax, we have a weekly call to update about the product and customer requirements, so I attend the weekly call to be engaged more in the business and catch up with any changes or updates from the business side. This knowledge is very essential to the KTP project because we want to make sure that the KTP goes in line with the business requirements.”
When asked about the most positive aspects of the role, Chi explained “as a Software as a Service (SaaS) company, apart from having good software and excellent customer service, we need good marketing activities to raise brand awareness of the products and get clients to know about us. I was very fortunate to be involved in almost every marketing activity such as social media channels, email marketing, website improvement, landing page, flyer/brochure development, webinar setting, etc. There are multiple marketing agencies and copywriters who help us with our marketing strategies, so I had a chance to work with them closely and learned from their experience and knowledge. It created a good learning environment because I communicate closely with the company (internal stakeholders) and the agencies (external stakeholders).”
There is a dedicated training and development budget available for Associates on KTP, and Chi has told us how she has benefitted from and utilised hers to improve her skills and knowledge, “I met other KTP Associates in Ashorne Hill training in Leamington Spa, spent a few weeks there to learn about leadership, communication, and logical thinking skills, and had team-building activities with other KTP Associates. I also attended the KTP Conference 2022 at the University of the West of Scotland. The event was an excellent network opportunity, with inspiring stories and masterclasses spanning KTP project delivery, career planning and personal development, all delivered by KE professionals, sector leaders and current/former KTP associates.” These KTP specific events are offered regularly by Innovate UK across all KTP projects and create an invaluable KTP community. “I also had mentoring calls with the KTP Adviser who helps me understand my career path and what skills, training, or certifications I could attend to improve myself.”
Chi selected further training in-line with the KTP and her future development, “I attended a digital marketing course hosted by the Digital Marketing Institute and was fortunate to pass the exam and get certified as a Digital Marketing Associate. Recently, we needed to complete a case study about the project, I attended a case study workshop at London Business School, hosted by The Case Centre. It was an excellent opportunity for me to learn how to write a case study properly, and get it reviewed by the tutors.”
Finally, we asked Chi if she would recommend the KTP Associate role:
“I would highly recommend the KTP Associate role to other graduates/postgraduates. It’s a good learning experience for you to be a project leader, see the outcome of your work and how it helps the company innovate and grow.”
Find out more about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.