Insider profil
Top Insider Advice
When I left university I didn't have a career plan like say a Lawyer or a Doctor and if I am being honest was a little unsure of what direction I wanted to take. What did stand me in good stead was not accepting staying in a role if I wasn't feeling fulfilled and taking the opportunities to move when they presented themselves to me. In each role I have had since university I have taken something which I have used in the next role so whilst I may not have followed a traditional graduate career path I can point to transferable skills I have gained in each of my positions including diverse ones such as call centre handler and IT recruitment consultant. A lot of the stakeholder management skills I use today came from those positions. The take away I would give people based on my experience is continue to seek learning opportunities to stretch yourself and be open to change.
Career path
Project Manager
Phoenix Group
Started 03/2014 to PresentCompany
What do you like about your job and the company?
What attracted me to projects in the first place is the variety of work on offer and despite the role remaining the same no two years are alike. You can be working on a regulatory change one year and then the next you could be delivering a new product. This allows the opportunity to make new connections across the business and in a company as large as Phoenix visit different locations. The other key motivation for me on projects is the ability to directly make a change to the company. When a project is correctly defined and delivered it will have key business outcomes which at the end of the project you can directly see the benefit or change you have brought to the business.
Greatest achievements
After the acquisition of Standard Life the Phoenix Group ran a major transformation programme to bring together the Internal Models of Phoenix and Standard Life. An Internal Model is how Life Insurers calculate how much capital to put aside in the event of certain risks happening. These allow Life Insurers to withstand financial shocks whilst knowing how much capital is free for them invest in the business. Working across the Phoenix and Standard Life businesses I built two project teams one to focus on Market and Credit risks and the other to focus on Insurance risks. As well as driving changes to complex technical methodologies I also had to build a one company culture with both project teams made up of a mix of Phoenix and Standard Life members. This was challenging in the early days of the project as there were different historic approaches between the companies but as the project progressed the different approaches were channelled to allow rapid progress on the development of new risk calibrations. An additional benefit was a strengthening of working relationships between the Phoenix and Standard Life actuarial teams who are now part of the same department. The successful delivery of the changes to the risk calibrations fed into the wider Internal Model Harmonisation Programme which realised significant financial benefits for the wider group.
Simon I
Facilities Project Manager
Top Insider Advice
Always have a career plan, no matter how vague and set your self targets/goals that you want. Be flexible though, as sometimes you may need to take an indirect route to get to your next goal. Opportunities will come along that might not be an exact fit to the plan, sometimes you will use your head and other times your heart to choose whether to take up an opportunity but keep the plan in the back of your mind at all times. Its good to always consult your friends or colleagues, be prepared to be challenged, embrace this though, do not fight it. You should always listen and take account of both sides an argument, that way you can make and take informed decisions and actions. No such thing as failure and do not be afraid to make mistakes, no matter how careful you are, they will happen, so don't stress it, use that energy for getting things done. When mistakes do happen, own them, be accountable and learn from them. Your mistakes and those made by others are all part of what makes you. They are as important was your successes and make sure you add them to your building experience and knowledge. These lessons can be applied anywhere and will increase your personal resilience. You own your career, no one else, take those opportunities that fit.
Serena W
Regulatory Analysis & Support Team Manager
Top Insider Advice
Have go......what have you got to lose!
Jane A
Employer Brand Manager
Top Insider Advice
If you love doing something but don't have the 'typical' experience for the role, try it anyway or find a company who will give you the opportunity to. At Phoenix and in my previous roles I have tried new things either side-of-desk or via trying a new job and I've learned a lot by doing that. I think ultimately trying different things has led me to be really happy in my current job as I've figured out my strengths and what I genuinely enjoy doing. I appreciate that you need the right environment for that and I've been fortunate enough to work for a couple of organisations who have focused on internal talent and development opportunities. This year I'm doing work in areas that I didn't know much about 12 months ago, and learning about more complex topics and processes which may not outwardly be directly associated with my day-to-day job but will help me when I'm considering what's next!
