Insider profil
Keen to receive questions about
Top Insider Advice
I came from a heavy scientific background, making unnatural amino acids in the lab (which are all white crystals!) to a world of colour and possibility in food development, and felt really out of my depth. The change to industry was challenging, there were targets and KPIs and OKRs and all the other acronyms! And so many people to work with, challenge, influence... I then went to a retail environment where I felt out of my depth again initially, the pace was faster, there was less thinking time and quant evidence was king. I learned more about myself and decided after a few years to challenge myself again and go to the digital world. I've had a constant thread - understanding customers, employees, users - though the context and environment has shifted every time. And that's a good thing! Don't be afraid to jump at an opportunity, you will always learn something and it will benefit you.
Career path
Insight Manager
Kingfisher Plc
From 10/2010 to 05/2013Insight Manager
Kingfisher Plc
From 05/2013 to 04/2015Insight Manager
Kingfisher Plc
From 05/2015 to 01/2020Company
What do you like about your job and the company?
We have a good open culture in the team, and people are always willing to help. We have lots of forward and backward looking sessions, time to use the hive mind of the team to solve problems and time to 'show and tell' - where it doesn't have to be perfect, it's more about discussing and shaping. For me, I live on the Norfolk/Suffolk border so the London office isn't the easiest to get to! We have great trust in the team and through conversations with my manager (Head of Design) we've agreed a flexi pattern of hybrid working that is perfect for me. I come into the office maybe once a week and it's fantastic to see people and have those meetings and conversations that are better in person.
Greatest achievements
AURA is the client side body for insight and provides a fantastic, collaborative learning space for researchers on the client side of the industry. There are no agencies or suppliers which makes it free from sales pressure, and the forum really allows you to compare and contrast and learn from peers. In 2020, I had stepped up to manage the team of 26 researchers and insight managers in John Lewis/Waitrose when the pandemic started. We shifted to remote and had to learn all about our new team, establish new ways of working and support people we had never met. It was amazing how the team galvanised, and despite the pressure we delivered some outstanding work that really shaped the strategy of the business. I submitted the team for the award and we won at the 2021 ceremony. It felt like real recognition of not just what we delivered, but how we pulled together and developed a super strong culture. Definite highlight for me!
Video
Dominic W
Lead Engineer
Top Insider Advice
There isn't enough kindness in this world generally, but as a person that has to recruit is quite clearly obvious in most interviews when you are being your authentic self. As an engineer, you would often exclaim at the stereotypical management that you would hear about on the internet. As I grew into the position that you would hear stories around, and developing myself, I realised that all those are based on trying to second guess the answers that you think the interviewer would want to hear. Generally, I want to just find out about the person; approach an interview as an opportunity to show who you are, what you enjoy and what you are good at. Be open and honest with your answers and don't forget that an interview process is a two way process.
Natalia N
Top Insider Advice
Curiosity drives growth, both in technical skills and as a leader. Being open to feedback means you’re always learning, adapting, and improving. Whether it’s from your team or your own experiences, embracing challenges and new ideas helps you move forward and build stronger connections with others.
Uschi A
Group Supply Chain Standards on secondment from Group Supply Chain Specialist
Top Insider Advice
My best advice would be to always ask plenty of questions, my opinion is there is no such thing as a stupid question, with gaining knowledge I would also recommend building a professional network, yes this can take some time but it's worth it in the long run. It will also help you to become a natural speaker with people engaging or starting conversations. Not everyone is as comfortable reaching out to people they don't know whether that's virtually or face to face, normally it's because they're not really sure where start or even how they start. Networking is certainly a learned skill and it take time and practice. Once you start connecting with people it will just happen naturally and as you start to grow your network, new roles and development opportunities will become more openly available to you. There are some great videos for tips on this on linked-in learning which I would recommend