Christopher Potter

2011 Saltire Scholar, University of Dundee

Bayer

Tell us a bit about yourself....

Currently I am studying Neuroscience at the University of Dundee and attended Bell Baxter High School in Cupar. I am originally from the village of Auchtermuchty in Fife.

What did your internship involve....

I had the pleasure of Saltire sending me to Germany to work at Bayer in Leverkusen. Specifically I worked in the Business Services Division of the business and my work was with the business consulting department. Throughout my time in Germany I got to see how the in house consulting team went about their work and I assisted them in the making of their presentations for clients. It was a very fast-paced working environment and during the first three weeks of my three month internship I mainly did work on polishing the consultants presentations and finalising their preparations. By week four however I was placed in the sustainability department and was lucky enough to be spending most of my time conducting research on farm animal welfare, food safety and environmental issues for a project with the Animal Health department in Bayer Healthcare. It was fascinating to be looking at so many issues in sustainability and I have gained a new interest in this field.

What has your Saltire experience meant to you....

My time in Germany which would never have been possible without the Saltire Foundation, has changed me forever. I learned a lot about being part of a huge global business but also I learned a lot about myself. It was alot of hard work and fun and I made some friends and contacts that I will be in touch with for many years. Overall the experience has broadened my mind and taught me never to lower your ambitions in life. I loved the country and the culture and I will be going back to visit soon!

Plans for the future.....

After university I am hoping to go into a graduate scheme of some sort. The main fields that I am looking to go into are pharmaceuticals or telecommunications. I also like the idea of working in a consulting role similar to the work I was doing at Bayer. One particular idea for the future is to go into pharmaceutical sales where I would be able to use both my Neuroscience background and my sales experience. Or perhaps even a consultancy role providing advice to clients about various drugs and medications depending upon the business.