Kathryn Loosemores' Story

Kathryn graduated with a First in French and Spanish in 1999. Her main area of focus in both languages was literature; her dissertation was on one of Louis Aragon’s works. Upon graduating, Kathryn returned to her native Devon and found a job with the news and financial information company, Reuters, where she translated company annual reports and worked with stock exchanges in Spain and Portugal on the electronic delivery of financial data. The technology involved was then rolled out across Reuters and Kathryn was asked to move to New York to manage this. After three years in New York, Kathryn moved to Bangalore, India, to manage a team of data analysts as this work was migrated from the UK and the US. With her growing understanding of technology and the financial markets growing, Kathryn moved back to New York to work directly with Reuters customers (banks, investment companies, legal and accounting firms), managing a global team of market experts.

Since then, Kathryn relocated to Paris and runs a global team responsible for transforming how customer data is managed at Thomson Reuters. In 2018, Kathryn completed her Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy and is now pursuing her PhD in this domain. Kathryn’s management, business and technology skills have all been learned ‘on the job’ at Reuters (which later became Thomson Reuters). She is a strong advocate of women in technology and promotes diversity of hiring in her company. In her spare time, Kathryn is a keen swimmer and runner but likes nothing better than to curl up with a good book.

Sport was an important part of my Swansea life

The swim team was a hugely important part of my Swansea life, particularly in my final year. Staying active in a sport I’d loved since my youth provided not only physical fitness and a friendship network, but it also helped me switch off from the pressures of academic life, therefore helping my mental wellbeing.

Early morning training sessions before exams became a ritual for me that helped me relax and focus on something other than the exam itself. The club also allowed me to meet people I’d never normally come across through my studies; people from across the university in terms of age, subjects studied and the level of swimming abilities.

The club welcomed everyone and was a place where complete novices trained alongside athletes who represented their countries at swimming/triathlon. It was a judgement-free club, both in and out of the pool.

I was lucky enough to be part of the competitive squad, the highlight representing Welsh Universities at BUSA events, where the emphasis was on the team pulling together to swim well and enjoy ourselves in the process. Some of the best friends I made were from the team, and I am so very grateful to the coach and to my fellow swimmers for making it such a memorable part of my Swansea life.