Earlier this month, Edinburgh Futures Institute hosted an exciting event which brought together current students, alumni and members of the wider Futures Institute ecosystem for an afternoon of honest reflection, humour and insight into the realities of unconventional career journeys.
This event was part of the “EFI House” initiative that offers a seminar series and a physical space for Edinburgh Futures Institute’s growing student and alumni network, designed to foster lasting connection between the Institute, its graduates and its wider research and innovation ecosystem.
In this latest seminar, speakers Morgan Walker (Innovation Associate, Former Design Director at LEGO), Dr Katherine Gunderson DBA (CEO, Grand Bequest), and Chris Chapman (CEO, Stretchsense) shared bespoke advice and candid accounts of their professional paths.
The speakers’ presentations explored the factors that shape careers beyond qualifications and job titles: from personal circumstances and changing job markets to unexpected opportunities and moments of uncertainty.
The panel discussion that followed highlighted the importance of relationships, curiosity, resilience and remaining open to unconventional opportunities.
The conversation created space for Edinburgh Futures Institute students and alumni to discuss themes of ambition, failure, reinvention and what success can look like over time.
Fostering connections beyond graduation
The vision behind EFI House is rooted in the idea that Edinburgh Futures Institute should remain a “home away from home” for students and alumni beyond graduation –– a place where meaningful relationships continue to thrive throughout professional and personal journeys.
EFI House has gained significant momentum through both its seminar series and the launch of a dedicated social space on the top floor of the Futures Institute building.
Created exclusively for Edinburgh Futures Institute students and alumni, the new EFI House space offers a welcoming environment for informal conversations, collaboration and community-building for current students and alumni.
While the building itself remains proudly open and accessible to the general public, the EFI House social space reflects a shared commitment to creating a sense of belonging and continuity for those who are part of the EFI community.
The development of both the seminar series and the new social space have been highly collaborative, shaped through the contributions of students, alumni and staff working together to imagine what an engaged lifelong Edinburgh Futures Institute network could look like in practice.
As EFI House continues to grow, future seminars and events will further strengthen connections across cohorts, disciplines and industries, ensuring that the conversations started at Edinburgh Futures Institute continue well beyond the classroom.
Jo Turbitt, Edinburgh Futures Institute alumna:
“What came through so clearly in the event was that ‘unconventional’ careers aren’t about breaking the rules; they’re about being interested, staying curious, and having the gumption to follow where that your curiosity leads you. Hearing from our speakers, it was fascinating to see just how far that combination had taken them… into roles and spaces that they couldn’t have mapped out in advance.
Careers shift, people scatter, but the EFI ecosystem keeps our stories connected. And that’s why spaces like EFI House matter so much. If EFI is where futures thinking begins, EFI House is where it’s sustained; through connection, belonging, and a community of quiet rebels who keep cheering each other on, long after graduation.”
Morgan Walker (EFI Innovation Associate, Former Design Director at LEGO):
Being a new graduate in the current economic backdrop is hugely intimidating and many look to an increasingly impersonal, online marketplace for guidance and end up feeling lost and overwhelmed. It was great for EFI to create space for honest dialogue that gets below the surface level. I appreciated being able to hear young people’s individual fears and struggles and hopefully managed to convey that it’s important to be lead by our own curiosity and to show how even small experiences now, will make a difference in getting us to where we belong in the long run. A really positive exchange.
Neneh Rowa-Dewar, Director of Students, Edinburgh Futures Institute:
‘The EFI House seminar series gathered real momentum with this seminar on unconventional careers, where the speakers opened up not only in their inspiring talks about resilience when the world economy takes a turn for the worse, but also in the way they responded to our student and alumni audience thoughtful questions with such candour, wit and wisdom. It was so refreshing to hear how partners, family, ideas and random conversations can shape career paths. I am also so delighted we have been able to address our student’s desire to have a social space of their own within our fantastic building. It is shared only with our global alumni, who we want to retain a strong connection with for many years beyond graduation.’
