Day in the Life

Vital Stats

Job Tile:              Executive Assistant to Three’s CTO for UK & IE David Hennessy

Function:            Technology

Tenure:               9 Years

Tell us a little bit about yourself

Being an Army child, I was lucky enough to live in various places growing up, finally settling down in Hampshire where I still live with my husband Nick and our Sheepadoodle, Hela.  I’m a real foodie and love getting creative in the kitchen (stems from being the daughter of a Chef) so try to get to the gym 3 times a week to balance it out.  I love spending time with family, whiling away the hours with friends over a leisurely lunch, going for walks along the coast or ambling around the streets of Stockholm and if I ever win the lottery would move to Cornwall in a heartbeat; with a crash pad in London for those times I need my museum/shopping fix.  I’ve worked in telecoms for 21 years and I love my job.  Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing people who have encouraged me, built my confidence and really understood the value that I bring to the table.

What does a typical day look like in your role?

I can honestly say there isn’t a typical day and have become an expert in managing the unexpected.  Being an EA is one of the most varied and challenging jobs you can have so I keep my ear to the ground to stay one step ahead.  I’m in a trusted position which empowers me to get on with things and keep the wheels turning.  There are of course the ‘day to day’ tasks that need to happen like managing inboxes, dealing with conflicting diaries, pulling together presentations and just being the go-to person to get things done.  I need to be able to think on my feet, know the right people and be a specialist at ‘winging it’ so things don’t fall between the cracks.  This can range from writing comms, planning events, sending care packages to 100s of people, booking global travel post covid as well as being a mediator and shrewd negotiator.

What is on the cards for the rest of the year?

It’s an exciting time in Technology as we are seeing the rewards of the last few years as we start to deliver against our goals and enablers.  I’m sure there will be some unexpected things along the way, so I’ll polish my crystal ball as I continue to support David and the leadership team.  I’m also involved in establishing and embedding the Technology SLT forum which brings our senior leaders together to focus on our WoW to ensure consistency and address specific cross technology initiatives and challenges .  There is also the work I do with the business support team and I’m fortunate to work with an awesome group of people who continue to focus on driving improvements across the whole of Technology and wider business to make life simpler and challenging the norm wherever we can.  I’m sure H2 will be a roller coaster, so I’m in for a fun ride.

How have you found Hybrid working now were back in the office?

Now that I’ve found my rhythm I’m loving the Hybrid model.  The new offices are fab, you can tell a lot of thought and effort went into making it a great space to work and there is a real buzz when people are in.  It’s great reconnecting and meeting new people outside the usual crowd I’ve spent the last 18 months on teams calls with and it’s made me realise how much I’ve missed just being around people or grabbing a coffee with someone.  With so much going on being able to WFH gives me the opportunity to get my head down and crack on without too many distractions so I get the flexibility I need to keep that work/life balance that is so important to me now – it really is the best of both worlds.

How have you supported your personal wellbeing during the past 18months

It was quite a challenge for part of it as I was working in different time zones so 6am starts became the norm.  It took me a while to find the balance but knew I needed to make changes when I realised I was still sitting at my desk at 8pm working whereas pre pandemic I’d have been home by 7pm, cooking dinner and switched off for the evening.  It was the nudge I needed to put in place a more structured day so I had time to unplug and focus on spending time with Nick and my daily walks with Hela.  I also rediscovered my love of painting and it’s something that I’ve made sure to maintain now the world has opened.  I’ve not been able to kick my Netflix binge-watching though so any suggestions welcome.

Give us a fun fact…..

I once arranged 2 tiger cubs for a photoshoot, fortunately not at the same time as the show jumping rabbits organised for a conference a few years ago.