Insider profil
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Top Insider Advice
Notice how you feel about what you're doing and about how you're doing it. If it feels right then stick with it... if not adjust, notice how you feel and keep adjusting until it feels right.
Career path
Programme Director
Phoenix
Started 06/2022 to PresentProgramme Director
Various Financial Services organisations
From 07/1999 to 06/2022Company
What do you like about your job and the company?
I love change! The past 30 years of my working life has been all about change and Phoenix is the best place I've ever worked. Understanding the objectives, building a plan and developing a team to deliver change are all great. However, my real passion is the delivery of change, seeing programmes through to the end and seeing how the change makes a difference.
Greatest achievements
Over four years and for a budget of £40m I lead the programme that transformed the technology and supporting processes upon which the trading platform at the Swiss Stock Exchange is run. Why is this my greatest achievement? Four years is a long time to run a programme of change, to keep everyone focussed on the outcomes and to maintain motivation, especially during the year plus period of testing... we had to be sure that rolling out the new technology would not affect the availability of the Stock Exchange services... and we did it! A massive team effort from 100+ located across the globe and Zurich is a great place to live for four years, that was fun too!
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!
Alexis A
Lead Business Analyst
Top Insider Advice
I started as a Pensions Administrator when I first joined the company. Since then, I have worked in Finance, Mortgages, Testing and then onto Analysis where I became a Lead managing others to develop in their role. The company is large, and opportunities are presented regularly to allow you to try out jobs you may have an interest in until you find the right job for you. The company also supports staff in life changing events allowing me to go part time and then when the kids are older to increase my hours to ensure I have the right work life balance.
Stuart T
Operational Governance & Control Consultant
Top Insider Advice
When i joined the first financial institution i worked for, initially working in customer services, i had two goals in mind: 1. I knew Customer Services was not for me long-term, and i wanted to move to a more admin based role as soon as possible. I achieved this within a year of joining the first financial institution i worked for. 2. Standard Life had a great reputation and were well known in the City i worked in as being a great place to work. When i took my first job in financial services my goal was to ultimately join Standard Life but i knew i required some experience in the industry before doing so. After two years in Financial Services i successfully applied for my first role at Standard Life. This was a great decision for my career and i remain at Standard Life/Phoenix to this day, many years later.
