Tell us a little more about yourself.  

I’m from Cheshire, but I moved up to Scotland as a teenager, and moved back down to Manchester when I started university to study French and electrical engineering. Still in Manchester today, I live with my husband, two teenage daughters and a nearly 18-months old son who is very into dancing at the moment and is the best entertainment bouncing around with a microphone in his cute pop star outfits!  

As you can imagine, the kids keep me busy but when I have free time, I love cooking and anything to do with food. Also, we bought a house recently, so a lot of my time goes on renovating it. On special occasions I enjoy a glass of wine, or two. 

How long have you worked at BrightCloud Group? 

2,5 years.

Describe a typical day in your role. 

It’s interesting because, in comparison to what I’ve done most of my career, I spend a lot less time travelling and a lot more time on video calls. My typical day is meeting with different partners, customers and team members – so a lot of talking! I couldn’t cope without my weekly to-do list, and I quite enjoy ticking things off the list as the week goes on. 

There’s a really good work-life balance and flexibility at BrightCloud Group. I’ve never felt the pressure to work outside of office hours and depending on what’s going on, I don’t have the need to check work emails late at night. 

What were you doing before working at BrightCloud? 

I’ve been in telecoms for 25 years now. It all started after I graduated from the university and landed a job with Lucent (now Avaya) who were the number one for contact centres globally. I moved very quickly from working in a sort of temporary admin role into a project management role that I did for a while before transferring into sales. And that’s what I’ve done ever since, contact centre sales.    

What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your role?  

When I can make a big difference by changing how something works to make it better for users. For example, I’m currently working on a number of projects for the NHS and helping them deliver better patient experience through our technology.  

We have a great development team at BrightCloud Group, and thanks to their technical expertise and capabilities we can develop pretty much whatever the customer is looking for. That hands-on access is very unique and something I didn’t have in my previous roles.  

What is your biggest achievement since working at BrightCloud Group?  

Within the past two years, I’ve had a baby, gotten married and bought a house. And I’m still here, and everything is going well – I’d say that’s a huge achievement (plus, I’m living with two teenage girls)!   

What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?  

Engaging, tenacious, and happy.   

Tell us the most memorable moment that has happened at BrightCloud Group whilst you’ve been working there? 

That must be the first time I met everyone during a company get-together in Birmingham. First thing I noticed was how tall everyone was. I’m quite tall myself but everyone was taller than me! Apart from that, I felt part of the family immediately which reassured me that I had made the right decision when joining BrightCloud. 

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why? 

The last ‘tech’ I bought was a Vtech baby laptop – joys of being a mum!  

What item could you not live without? 

My husband! Not sure he would appreciate being called an item, but without him being here to take care of us all then my life would be a lot more challenging.  

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it? 

Speed. Both in how technology is advancing, and how much easier it is to consume it now. 

If there’s one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be? 

Probably less golf. I was once told I’d never be successful in my career if I didn’t learn to golf… and so didn’t learn to golf. It didn’t do me any harm!  

Who or what has most influenced your career and why? 

When I first started working for Lucent, there were some amazing women in my office. I was fresh out of university and had never worked in an office before. Their guidance with the job, in politics, and with life in general really gave me the confidence to grow and be who I am today. And we’re now the best of friends, still getting together at least once a month after 25 years…