Tomas Alexa: Lead Analyst
Tomas Alexa
MA International Security, 2019
Based in: UK
Formerly from: Slovakia
First job: Indian Ocean operations coordinator.
Ambitions for the future:
I am working on a long-term project – the humanitarian mass rescue merchant vessels participation – and I would like that work to influence broader maritime industry policy.
Lead Analyst Europe and Latin America at Ambrey Analytics - a maritime risk management company.
Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.
I lead a team of duty analysts gathering Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Human Intelligence (HUMINT), and privileged sources intelligence. I analyse the data sets and create digital risk management products. I also brief clients and industry on threats effecting maritime supply chain.
What’s your favourite part of the role?
Product design and client briefings.
What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?
Critical thinking, and the understanding of International relations theory applicable to real world scenarios.
Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?
Yes – I was planning to join war risk underwriter company.
What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?
Look for entry level position to enter the industry, embrace the grind – it will take time and perseverance to learn the required intelligence gathering skills and appreciate the commercial aspects of the industry.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Morning - ongoing projects brief call, last night round up of relevant events, quality control of data capture, and vessel routing.
Afternoon - writing of briefs, client calls, commercial team briefings, client security policy reviews, reading policy/ industry papers and publications.
What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?
Finding work life balance, managing time and learning to moderate my exposure to war/crime footage and imagery – you learn from necessity and experience. There are no shortcuts.
What’s the strangest interview question you’ve ever been asked?
What is your favourite band?
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in relation to your career?
It’s not just numbers on the screen. What we do can get real very quickly and real lives can be effected.
What should current students or recent alumni be doing to move their careers forward?
Improve yourself as a person, learn new skills that don’t always have to be directly connected to your career – it will make you better at the job.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for jobs?
Companies have significant differences in their culture and approach.