How did you get into business development?

“After having left college, I started working in retail, working for Next. I always felt that I was able to converse openly and honestly with people and understand what their needs were. I am naturally chatty, and always want to help others, so a more strategic sales role seemed like the next challenge.

I developed my strategic thinking through marketing roles, before taking my first business development job at Sky in 2003. I’ve worked for various membership organisations since then and gained a really good working knowledge of how to find new members and keep them happy. ”

Why CIRAS?

“To be honest, when I was first approached about the role at CIRAS, I knew nothing about them. After some further research, I saw CIRAS values aligned very much to mine and that their goal was to make a difference to the health and safety of frontline staff.

Any organisation that is a force for good aligns strongly with my own personal values. I was instantly drawn to the team in my interview, as it became more and more obvious that I could fit in well at CIRAS and start to help those who required our services.

I am supported by an incredible team, who’ve made me feel welcome from day one. CIRAS really is my ‘happy place’ outside of my personal life and I have enjoyed every minute of working here since 2019. ”

Key achievements or career highlights at RSSB?

“I would say that my key achievement has been helping CIRAS attract new voluntary members, including a near clean sweep of all the UK major tram operators. In fact there’s only one left to add!

We have much work to do and there are many more opportunities to expand our membership into new sectors, and I’m very excited about the future.

I’ve learned a huge amount about the transport sector and ensuring the safety of workers within it, and I’m particularly proud to have been involved in the development of our sales offer. ”

Any particular personal interests or hobbies that you'd like to share?

“PC gaming and tech enthusiast, I regularly play online shooters with my friends, sadly it’s something I’ve never grown out of since my youth.

In my spare time, I also like to build and modify PCs. Slightly nerdy in that sense, however, I like to think that I balance this out by playing football and tennis regularly (when I’m not recovering from an ACL injury) and I enjoy skiing in the winter.

Also, having three kids (10, 14 and 16) keeps me very busy too – if it’s not school runs, it’s dropping them off at friends’ houses or the nearest shopping malls or football/cricket matches! ”