Madeleine Pengelly: from Bristol graduate to Delaware

The  Employer Showcase, is just under two weeks away!

A busy bristol beacon at leats years careers fair. up front, purple and orange balloons

Taking place on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October, it is a great opportunity to build connections with employers from a variety of sectors, and see what opportunities are available from graduate roles and internships to work experience.

Our employers range from international organisations to small and medium enterprises and there will be different employers attending each day. Check out mycareer to book your place and start planning who you want to meet.

Our sponsors this year are OC&C Strategy Consultants, Frazer Nash, AlphaSights, Datamine, Delaware and Baker Hughes.

Madeleine Pengelly from Delaware (one of this year’s fair sponsors) tells us about her time at university and life in her current role.

“My journey to Delaware has been an interesting and perhaps not so-typical one.

A picture of Madeline smiling, whilst on a walk in the countryside
Madeleine Pengelly

I studied Philosophy at the University of Exeter, a degree I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend to anyone, especially those looking to work with people.  

Alongside my involvement in the student societies (Feminist Society, PhilSoc, LGBTQ+ and Ballroom & Latin – to name just a few), my university provided ‘The Exeter Award’ an employability achievement award hosted by the Careers Service similar to the Bristol PLUS Award. The award required documented volunteer and work experience, CV enhancement and personal development sessions as well as presentations which certainly prepared me for interviews, discussions with future employers and even my work now. 

My position within Delaware falls under the project management side of the business and it has been a perfect fit for me. Since joining last September, I have had the opportunity to work on two large projects and experience different areas of management from financial forecasting and resourcing to writing and presenting project progress reports. 

My favourite part of my work is the people; indeed, my role is dependent on people. I host daily team and client-facing calls and spend most of my day with people understanding issues, finding resolutions and discussing updates.

I have enjoyed this aspect of life and work since before university, but Delaware has nurtured an environment which really spoke to me, where commitment to people matters. This is evidenced not only through our client work but also through our societies and working groups, which motivate our corporate social responsibility but also contribute to the feeling of a company community.  

Our sector is varied and requires diverse skill sets and personalities – It is important to:

  • be able to listen
  • understand and to problem solve
  • spot inconsistencies, find patterns and plan ahead
  • work quickly and accurately in a team
  • self-motivate

However, consultancy is united by one theme: it is client-facing. 

So, if you are interested in this sort of career,  hone your ‘people skills’! As well as speaking to representatives at career events, reach out to consultants on LinkedIn, and as you start to build your network, practice interacting with people effectively.


Our 2-day careers fair, the  Employer Showcase, is taking place on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October, from 12:30 pm to 4 pm, at Bristol Beacon.

Find out more about the Employer Showcase and book your place by heading to mycareer.

You can even get a professional LinkedIn profile picture taken at our fairs this Autumn. You can register your interest for the Law fair here and the Employer Showcase here.

Your Careers Service is here to help!

Whether you want to find an internship, prepare for an interview or need tips to get the most out of this Autumn’s careers fairs, visit our website or talk to us on Live Chat.