On Tuesday, The Bridge Careers Department were delighted to welcome Bedford High School alumna, Nicola Reddy (1999) for an insightful Lunchbox Lecture on the pros and cons of running your own business. Nicola is currently the co-owner of Maths Circle LTD, where she is the company secretary, specialising in compliance procedures.

The Maths Circle Ltd is a UK based company developing innovative and exciting maths learning products (in online, app and paper formats) for children to improve their mathematics. Their main product is Times Table Rock Stars, an mathematics app which is also used in the Junior School!

Prior to running a successful business, Nicola graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Manchester. She then undertook her Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School before gaining a position at Pinsent Masons, where she was a Senior Associate for 15 years.

Nicola Reddy said: "It was great to have the opportunity to come back to Bedford Girls' School, 20 years on, and talk to the girls about my experiences working as a real estate lawyer in London and share with them some of the highs and lows of running your own business."

Abi Bradbury and Katie Bradley (Year 11) enjoyed the Lunchbox Lecture, they said: “The session was informative and told us a lot about what it is actually like day-to-day, working in a law firm. The speaker, Nicola Reddy, then compared this to the life of someone who runs their own business. It was truthful, inspirational and having listened to an inside view, it has helped prepared us for choosing our career paths in the near future.”