His Majesty’s Theatre echoed with applause yesterday as some of the north-east’s best young business minds graduated from university.
About 3,000 students are leaving Robert Gordon University this week, and a series of ceremonies got under way in Aberdeen yesterday when hundreds of business graduates celebrated their academic achievements.
A capacity crowd filled the Rosemount Viaduct venue, as relatives gathered to mark the occasion.
Many well-wishers held mobile phones aloft to capture the moment their loved ones received their degrees, and others cheered loudly at the mention of their names.
University chancellor, Sir Ian Wood, was led to the stage by a solitary bagpiper and capped scores of students as they strode across the stage in crisp gowns to collect their scrolls.
The business legend, famed for his work in the offshore industry with Wood Group, urged the business hopefuls to consider pursuing a career in oil and gas.
Sir Ian said: “Business prospects are slowly improving, and don’t dismiss oil and gas as a career.
“The Oil and Gas Technology Centre in Aberdeen is intended to establish the city as the long-term centre for research and development, and maximise the economic recovery.”
And the tycoon-turned-philanthropist offered some personal advice for those in attendance who may now look to establish their own businesses.
He added: “Don’t make business overly complex, it is actually very basic.
“Have self-insight on how to get the best out of your colleagues and don’t ever think that you have made it as there is always new learning and new ideas.”
The business graduates hailed from across the world, with people from Nigeria, Cyprus, Kenya, Hong Kong, Italy, Saudia Arabia and China all in attendance alongside people from all over the north and north-east.
Student president Michael Ife, said the graduation ceremony represented a “dream come true” for many.
