In 2012, after several years of working for a large FTSE100 company as the Head of Business Improvement, I decided to take a big leap forward into the ‘Unknown’ and start up my own business. Having worked with numerous independent consultants and the Big Four when driving strategic change initiatives as an employee of a large corporation, I learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work when driving organisational change. I was keen to create an alternative to overtly generic, high cost approaches to solving business challenges and had a desire to apply my passion and pragmatism to helping organisations drive continuous improvement. Starting up and expanding a business has been an exciting journey, particularly growing my team to include other highly skilled professionals that share the same ethos and passion.
I am a strong advocate of women empowerment and offering a positive work-life balance. I hire people based on their mind set, not skill set alone; and focus on people’s personal development objectives and provide pathways to success. Diversity and inclusion are crucial to building a successful team. My team is 85% women, and 50% of the workforce are part time.
I’m a qualified Black Belt Lean Six Sigma Practitioner and a strong advocate of the principles behind this methodology; so much so that I ‘live and breathe’ them – even at home where I’m always trying to make the housework more efficient! I’m also a Prosci Change Management Practitioner and qualified Project Manager. I strive on leading large, complex change and driving operational excellence.
In recent years I have delivered speeches at international conferences and events, such as the ITEM conference in Ukraine and an IT Community event in Florida.
Whilst I have a drive for business; as a working-mother of two daughters, my other passion is education. I am a School Governor and a volunteer at ‘Inspiring the Future’ charity which connects schools with professionals. I often deliver speeches and workshops at schools and universities to inspire students and raise awareness of the career opportunities available to them.