How has your career path led to D&I?
I joined IBM as a university graduate. I had an amazing career there for a dozen years where I honed my project management skills that are so valuable to me in this role.
My time ended when a 'perfect storm' of different factors led to a breakdown in my mental health and I spent the next 2-3 years building myself back up and learning that a job doesn't define you as a person. I then had a real variety of roles including gardener, housekeeper, and charity events manager. In February 2020, I got the call from Trish, who I first met 20 years ago at IBM, asking if I could bring my organisational skills into A New Normal.
Why do you work in D&I?
As you can see, my career path did not lead me through a D&I route, it was something I began learning about properly when I joined A New Normal. I felt a level of satisfaction when I helped run charity events that I was contributing positively to the world, but I feel even more strongly now that I am part of something that really helps change people's experiences for the better.
What do you like about it?
I genuinely believe that it has helped make me a better person; I have gone through so much of what our clients go through in expanding their horizons and educating themselves. It may be a bit of a cliché, but I am so lucky, I love my job.
