I’ve had quite a few jobs at GC! But by working within so many different teams, I've gained loads of experience across lots of different areas.
Working at GC has opened-up opportunities for me to make a difference to people and our communities – which is one of the unique benefits of working here.
Spreading my wings
I studied Business at college, but I didn't know what I wanted to do next. I grew-up on the Isle of Man on a farm in the middle of nowhere, but at 24 years of age in 1999 I decided to move to England to get some work experience, access more opportunities and experience life.
It was kind of like my ‘party era,’ I had lots of random, but fun jobs to get some money into my pocket. From selling magnet therapy to advertising sales, one of the jobs that stands out for me was when I worked at Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s sales office, I had a £3,000,000 target across rides, accommodation, and food – that was a fun but challenging sales role. I left the Pleasure Beach and moved to sell utilities for a company based in Manchester, and following that sold Software Escrow at the NCC Group.
I was supported into the role at the NCC Group by a recruiter who later approached me with a role at his company and I became a Commercial Recruiter at Myles Thomas Associates. Following several years in recruitment I was promoted to a Senior Consultant, and I delivered a portfolio of specialist sales recruitment services, and this positioned me well for my career with GC.
Gaining loads of experience
At GC I moved from one role to another depending on funding and contracts, but that’s the way we operate at GC. These contracts help our local communities, and in essence me too, as I got loads of experience doing different things.
Initially at GC, I started as a Sales Executive at Work Solutions in October 2009, and then moved to Career Solutions as Employer Services Team Manager in late 2012, and then Education Business Solutions as Sales Team Manager by the spring of 2013.
In February 2015 I started work at Aspire Recruitment (for the first time!) as a Consultant for about 18 months. I really enjoyed the opportunity to help people and Aspire was (and still is) a perfect match for me.
In the summer of 2016, I moved to the Business Growth Hub as Enquiry & Local Authority Team Manager, and then after eight and a half years, I decided to look for a new challenge outside of GC. I went to work as a Business Development Manager for Havas People for 18 months, before I was asked to consider coming back to GC for a new opportunity at Aspire by Julie McMenamin during a lunchtime catch up.
Coming back to GC – and loving it…
I came back to Aspire in July 2019 as a Consultant and was promoted last year to Lead Consultant… and again recently to Business Development Manager. So that’s two promotions in 12 months!
I came back because at GC we’re all valued as individuals and the company meets my personal social values of helping people. Having the opportunity to help many people in diverse ways is one of the main reasons I work for GC. Beyond the day job I'm a Local Representative for Breast Cancer Now and work with Mencap to run an annual volunteer day. So, having the opportunity to give back whilst having fun at work is something I have the opportunity to do working at GC.
I truly believe that I live and breathe our GC values, plus I’m supporting people to grow. That is what I love about us – that you know we're not just about making money, we're about helping people, businesses, and the economy.