Chris Took

Chris Took graduated from Kent in 2002 with a degree in European Politics and International Relations. In the years since he has built a career in sales and in 2018 relocated to Boston, where he remains in his current role as a Sales Manager for AMCS, an Irish Waste Management software company.

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

I worked as a trainee estate agent for 10 weeks but didn't make the grade as I was 'too nice' to be a salesperson! I then worked at the Eurostar contact centre in Ashford for 6 months before joining a Canterbury based HR Software company, Access HR doing outbound telesales.

I was promoted, managed a team and, after 5 years, joined PageSuite, a digital media company in Ashford, Kent. I was there for 11 years, promoted multiple times and ended up as Sales Director/SVP Sales. Work took me to America (I opened 3 US offices) in 2018. I've been in Boston since then and in 2020 moved to my current role as a Sales Manager for AMCS, an Irish Waste Management software company.

While I was still in the UK I did also run (unsuccessfully) as the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Ashford (2005 and 2010) and Woking (2015).

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Lots of emails! I manage a team of five so plenty of forecast review calls, internal meetings and client facing meetings. About five of my eight hours will be on Teams - occasionally I will leave the office/home for a customer on-site or a trade show.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

At PageSuite it was placed in charge of the Sales team at 28 - my performance gave the company founder the trust that I could run the sales operation, despite being relatively wet behind the ears.

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

My time at Kent gave me the ability to think critically/analytically alongside an openness to ideas - I really enjoyed the challenging discourse of student activities.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work?

You have to start at the bottom - it's OK to fail and it's fine to pivot.

Not everyone is right for software sales - I'm still not sure I am and I've been at it for 20+ years!

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

Woodys was less than a 2-minute walk - Six Nations games were the most fun (despite Wales being not very good during my time there - what goes around comes around!).

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

I'd try more clubs/activities - email and Facebook weren’t that prevalent when I started and I suspect communications are a lot easier nowadays.

Are you still in touch with other Kent alumni or academics?

Yes, one of my best friends is a Kent Alumnus. I was best man at his wedding and we've stayed in close contact, despite the 3500 mile distance that’s now between us.

What are your future ambitions?

Owning a smallholding in Ireland, with our three dogs, five chickens, three sheep, and a goat.