Since leaving LHS, Anisha Juj (LHS 2007) has built a fascinating career in the intelligence sector for the last 15 years. More recently, she has launched her own jewellery business alongside her full-time role and raising a family.
Reflecting on her time at the High School, Anisha shares, “I have the fondest memories of LHS, having a close knit group of girl friends was fantastic and the opportunities afforded us at school were brilliant. Some standout memories are A level history lessons with Dr Eadie, many school trips including a few on the slopes, taking part in house drama (for Burton) and so many sporting matches. Whether it’s because it’s the most recent or not, I particularly remember really enjoying 6th form, having our own common rooms, being able to put our own spin on uniform and having a level of autonomy. Our leaver’s musical was also such a fun experience!”
Like many students approaching the end of school, Anisha wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do, but knew she wanted to go to university. She went on to complete a degree in Ancient History, followed by a Masters in Management and Marketing. Towards the end of the Masters degree, Anisha saw a job advertisement for a government intelligence role. With an interest in problem solving and consuming and analysing information, she applied and, after a long recruitment process, she successfully secured the job.
Although Anisha can’t share too much detail due to the sensitive nature of her work, she gives us an overview of what her role involves. “I spent around 5 years working in Government before moving to a Bank of where I also worked in intelligence however from a different angle. I set up a social engineering programme for the bank and worked on threats to executives and the company. Fast forward a few years and I had the opportunity to work for a law firm who combined law with intelligence and cyber. I was able to use the same skills and apply them to cases involving high net worth individuals and celebrities which was exciting. Following this I moved to one of the largest Defence companies, where I work now, as Head of Threat Analysis which combines skills from all of my previous places of work. My job involves remaining aware and informed of geopolitics and providing a strategic intelligence picture to the company which informs large decisions. Whether that’s protecting our people or assets.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of her work, Anisha explains, is “knowing you have successfully protected people, whether that is from a physical, digital or reputational perspective.”
However, after searching for a specific piece of jewellery following the birth of her first child in 2020, and not being able to find it, she decided to create it herself. “Due to PTSD post-birth I don’t actually remember developing the brand but it wasn’t until the end of 2023 that I decided to launch the business.”
Anisha explains that starting a business came with plenty of challenges, “While I did a Business-related Masters, I didn’t really have a clue how to start a business and didn’t really have a plan (much to my husband’s dismay) but I just followed my gut and went with it. In a world where social media and influencers are very important tools in most businesses, I quickly had to develop my own strategy for securing some to work with me (which requires a lot of cold messaging!) Time was definitely the biggest challenge for me, working 5 days a week in a very serious job at the time, with 2 young children – it was hard to fit in the work I needed to do to grow the business. For the first 2 years I would say I have worked 18 hour days to fit everything in.”
Despite this, Anisha has built a highly successful brand, INITIALLED. Each piece is deeply personal as they are all designed, and some even handmade, by Anisha. The jewellery features handstamped petite letters, creating sentimental pieces. You can take a look at these beautiful pieces here: initialled.co.uk / @_initialled
Anisha shares with us some standout moments for her brand “Having my jewellery worn by a This Morning presenter felt huge for me when it happened. This was not long after the brand launched and opened other doors for me. Some other standout moments include being featured in Tatler & Stylist Magazines, The Guardian & The Daily Mail and growing my business single-handedly.”
Anisha’s journey shows the determination, creativity and resilience that is instilled in our alumni.
