Staff Profile: Nina Liepold – Engagement Adviser

13 February 2024

Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up at CIE. 

I have always loved writing – I wrote my first “mini-book” at age 7 and so it was not surprising I chose to study Journalism and Communications studies. But I soon realised that if I wanted to write about what is going on in the world, I needed some more background to understand it, so I started studying International Business Administration. It was during one of my business courses that I discovered my passion for entrepreneurship – the possibility to create something new, turn your wildest ideas into real products and make impact on a large scale.  

Wanting to learn more about entrepreneurship, I went looking for a programme that would allow me to deepen my skills, and I found it at the University of Cambridge. Not only did I study Entrepreneurship there, but I also worked as Publicity Officer for Cambridge Hub, an organisation championing student social action and as Vice President of Operations at Enactus Cambridge, an organisation aiming to engage the next generation of leaders in innovation and entrepreneurial activities.  

When Covid hit I realised that many small businesses had trouble building an online business, so I founded Great Communication e.U., a content marketing agency. At the same time, I was writing my Master’s thesis in Cambridge, focusing on why children of entrepreneurial parents are 60% more likely to enter into entrepreneurship. Having non-entrepreneurial parents myself, the topic fascinated me and I realised I wanted to build my career around helping others on their entrepreneurial journeys.  

On the lookout for a suitable job, I stumbled upon CIE and realised that the Engagement Adviser role is the ideal combination of communication and entrepreneurship. A 25-hours flight from Austria to New Zealand, and here I am. 

What does being the Engagement Adviser at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship involve? 

As Engagement Adviser, my role is to champion entrepreneurship within the University and to strengthen and uphold the University’s external image as hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. I promote the award-winning, free programmes on offer to students and staff of all faculties through CIE, and write articles about our community of students, staff and alumni. In short: you can see my work in our newsletters, on our website and across our socials. 

What drew you to this role at CIE? 

CIE is all about spreading the entrepreneurial spirit and is something close to my heart as well. The opportunity to interest people in entrepreneurship who have never seen themselves as entrepreneurs before, to support them in making an impact and help them on their entrepreneurial journeys is what drew me to the role. It is my chance to make an impact, and also a role that lets me make the most of both my communication and entrepreneurship knowledge and skillset. 

What advice would you give people who aren’t sure if innovation and entrepreneurship is for them? 

Entrepreneurship is so much more than just setting up a business. Entreprenurial thinking can be an advantage in various different situations, even if you do not plan on founding the next big start-up or becoming super rich. It is about approaching life with eyes open, on the lookout for opportunities, with the ability to seek solutions, come up with innovative ideas and make a lasting impact. Before I started my first class on entrepreneurship, it was only a word without specific meaning to me and primarily made me think of silicion valley and tech-venture founders. My advice: come along, learn what entrepreneurship is really all about and I am pretty sure that you will find a way to benefit from it. 

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? 

If I had just one wish, I would use it to have dinner with my grandpa, who died of cancer when I was 18. I miss him very much and there is just so much I would like to tell him and ask him about. 

When you’re not working, what would we find you doing? 

Not surprisingly, I spend a lot of time reading. I love anything from romance novels to short stories and business literature, so all too often I am just curled up with a book and a cup of coffee. Most of the time I am joined by my two dogs, with whom I also love going on long walks and hikes. I enjoy playing the guitar and I love baking. Having grown up with the Alps practically around the corner, I am also into skiing and snowboarding.