Have you ever wondered what the industry's influential figures have on their desks? From historical artefacts to a charity relaunch presentation, you can tell a lot about a person by their desk.
A born and bred Manchurian, Val decided to explore pastures new when she joined the armed forces after her A-levels. This brought her to Germany where she worked at the the signals unit, providing communication between the troops and head office. Here Val discovered her interest in information technology, which led her to then join the 3M European headquarters in Brussels in an IT support role.
Val’s global career portfolio was added to again when she accepted an IT role in the Middle East working for the Bahrain Petroleum Company. This position involved setting up the company’s first local area networks and introducing emails when the technology was still new.
After eight years in Bahrain, Val returned to the UK where she took on contract work including an IT management role at elite financial institution, Coutts & Co. Here she upgraded their IT system. “I enjoyed working at Coutts,” said Val. “There is a lot of history there and I like the mix of old and new.”
An interest in business beyond IT was eventually sparked by one of Val’s next roles as B2B Interim IT Director at RAC. Inspired and ready to grow her career even further, Val completed an MBA in Warwick.
Her next role was then with the Automobile Association, managing big outsourcing contracts with players like IBM and BT.
Val then went on to work with Biffa Waste Management Service implementing a Customer Relationship System. This system was used to manage customer interaction, chart leads and prospects, analyse campaigns, profile customers and see how sales are matching targets. Val hopes to implement a similar system at the EEIBA, as there is a not-for-profit version that tracks and profiles beneficiaries and support.
After Biffa, Val started doing consultancy work and here she came in contact with a mental health charity, South Oxfordshire Housing Association and the Charity Business Board, offering strategic input into customer service, improving efficiency and streamlining.
In October of 2010, Val joined the EEIBA as General Manager. “I wanted to give the EEIBA a refocus,” said Val. “This includes improving our service, channelling more money and support to beneficiaries whilst at the same timeand raising awareness of the charity.”
Val believes that the future of the EEIBA is to not just about financial support or resolving a specific financial problem, but to assist people who have fallen on hard times to get back on their feet. For example, helping people get back to work through placement services as well as retraining and plenty of support.
“We are trying to help people out of a dependency culture,” said Val. “This includes looking at what we can do to build a package – it’s about making our help sustainable.”
1. EEIBA 2011-2012 Budget: This report will be discussed at a meeting held by the EEIBA’s eleven members, which includes representatives from across the electrical industry.
2. Marriott Event Contract for JIB Meeting: Val is meeting the JIB at the Marriot to discuss a collaboration between the two organisations. “We want to find out how we can work more closely together and how we can help their members,” said Val.
3. Third Sector Magazine: This magazine helps Val keep up with what is going on in the charity sector.
4. Wooden Hammer: Found at the EEIBA’s old office in Balham, this hammer was originally from the Worcester Branch and was used to call the council meetings.
5. Reminder Cards: Smaller and more accessible than a brochure, these cards are handed out at events by staff, directing people to information about helping out with the EEIBA.
6. Cup of Coffee: Val takes her coffee white with no sugar. She is a big fan of Costa coffee. “It wakes me up in the morning and keeps me going,” said Val.
7. Powerball Brochure: A premier event in the industry’s social diary, this year’s Powerball is themed “Best of British”, which fits in nicely with the Royal Wedding, 2012 Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee. Over half of the tickets have been sold, so be sure to order yours before they are gone. 2011’s Powerball will take place November 11th.
8. Notepad: Val likes to take lots of notes to keep organised. She sometimes has a few notepads going at one time.
9. Historical Artefacts: The EEIBA recently moved offices to reduce running costs and during the move they uncovered many interesting discoveries. These letters and stamps were found “in the bowels of the old Balham building” and they date all the way back to 1912.
10. EEIBA 100 Years Documents: Val is using this document to help inspire her presentation for the new EEIBA relaunch. It discusses the one hundred year history of the EEIBA.
11. Glasses: Val needs to wear glasses for reading.
12. Website Redesign Document: The EEIBA website has been redeigned with the charity’s recent relaunch. This document discusses the new look and feel of the website, which has now been implemented.
13. Keys: Val lives in Brinkworth, Wiltshire, but during the work week she stays at a Bed and Breakfast in Streatham Hill. “I have a city life in the week and a country retreat for the weekend,” said Val.
14. IPad with Photo of Husband and Dogs: A Christmas present from her husband, Val loves this new piece of technology. “It’s been quite a transition and I’ve needed to retrain myself,” said Val about the device. “It’s all about productivity – it’s a tool that when used properly saves a lot of time.” The photo displayed on Val’s IPad is of her husband Mark and her two terriers (aka “Holy Terrors”), Tom and Jerry.
15. Stress Ball: Given to Val by her corporate fundraising manager, Claire, this squishy ball helps relieve stress. Val also enjoys going to the gym and dog-walking to let off a bit of steam and unwind after a long day.
16. Toy Bus: This miniature old-fashioned double-decker bus figurine was also found at the old Balham office, adding a “little bit of cheer” to Val’s desk.
17. Charity Relaunch Presentation: This presentation was being prepared for the EEIBA relaunch event, which was held at the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, London. Guest speakers at the event included Dr David Clarke of the Energy Technology Institute, Nick Hewer, star of BBC’s ‘The Apprentice' and an EEIBA beneficiary, Wendy Murrell-Foster. Click here to find out more about the EEIBA’s relaunch event.
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