Toby Darroch

Member of the Dean's List, class of 2023

Toby’s good-natured competitive spirit has driven him to achieve highly whilst developing his employability and contributing to society over the course of his studies.

Positive impact

Toby actively supported his community during his time at Sheffield. As a dedicated Student Ambassador in the School, he helped to create website and social media content sharing his positive experiences of the Management School. After successfully completing a company project dissertation, which gave him experience of tackling a real-world business problem, he contributed to the student blog to support fellow classmates with the project application process. 

He was a regular tennis player at both the Rustlings Lawn Tennis Club and the University Tennis Club, and competed in University tournaments. He actively supported 'Football for Food Banks', playing in football matches to raise money for local community support, and during the busy dissertation period, he took on the additional task of completing the Challenge London Triathlon to fundraise for Alzheimer’s Research UK. 

Toby made a direct positive impact on young people in his community by volunteering to teach interview skills to Year 9 students at a local Sheffield secondary school. As the only postgraduate volunteer, he collaborated with undergraduate students to deliver engaging and informative sessions and developed the confidence of less privileged school children to aim high in their future careers. 

Leading the way

Toby demonstrated a proactive approach to building his leadership skills and experience. In addition to working with a tech-based SME consultancy on his student-company project dissertation, he entered the Global Masters University Business Challenge and led the Sheffield team to achieve sixth place in the national competition. He learnt to speak the Dutch language and he participated in the University’s Leadership Series, learning about different leadership styles such as ‘humble servant leadership’ and ‘nudge incremental theory’. He also joined a Coach Cafe alumni-to-student mentoring event, where he sought valuable advice from Sheffield graduates who are already ahead in their careers. 

During his summer internship as Henderson’s Relish Roof Tile Project Assistant, Toby honed his commercial awareness and project management skills, gaining exposure to working culture and broadening his real-world experience. He also committed to a part-time catering job with Sheffield United Football Club, growing his confidence in customer-facing environments. 

To further enhance his employability, Toby embarked on the Level 7 Strategy Management and Leadership course with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). During the course, he took the opportunity to access the CMI’s mentoring programme to learn from industry professionals. 

With the advantage of mentorship through the CMI and University careers advice, Toby was able to succeed in his team activity interviews with British food manufacturer Premier Foods Plc, and he secured a place on their Commercial Graduate scheme.