Career Stories from the Field

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Ani Filipova from Athens.

Ani tells a fascinating story, starting with a degree in banking and finance in Bulgaria, Ani worked her way up to be the COO at Citi Bank in Hong Kong. Just a few years ago Ani took the leap and now has a portfolio career – she’s a board member, founder, change advisor, investor, podcaster and coach. Wow, what else does she have time for! Listen in and find out.

Find out more about Ani here https://www.linkedin.com/in/anifilipova/

Find out more about Penny and Think Forward here Penny Strutton | Executive Career & Leadership Development Coach (thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk)

Join the Careers Revolution facebook group here (3) The Career Revolution | Facebook

Dr Stewart Desson, CEO and founder of Lumina Learning. Stewart talks about how he transitioned from working with numbers to people and how he now combines both interests in his work with psychometrics. 

13 years ago he made the leap and embraced his entrepreneurial ability to launch and grow Lumina Learning, now a global organisation. With a focus on selection and development, Lumina provides invaluable digital tools to organisations worldwide. Being a huge fan of Lumina, it really was an honour to have this time with Stewart.  

To find out more about Lumina Learning visit  www.luminalearning.com

Find out more about Penny and Think Forward here Penny Strutton | Executive Career & Leadership Development Coach (thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk)

Join the Careers Revolution facebook group here (3) The Career Revolution | Facebook

Wendy Plumb's career path has taken her from her Customer Experience and Insight role at British Gas to Harlequins Rugby Club to now as the Assistant Director of donor engagement at Samaritans.

Wendy shares a fascinating story of working within a variety of industries, finding her purpose and living her values through her work, and gives us a great insight into how you can get to the top but also work part time.

In every episode I will be sharing some tips and advice on how to approach a career change or embark on your career journey straight from education. You can find this during the middle of the episode or by using the timestamps below.

00:00 - Introduction

00:40 - part one

26:25 - career change tip

27:27 - part two

To find out more about Penny Strutton and Think Forward Consulting, please visit ⁠⁠www.thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk⁠⁠ or connect with me on ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennystrutton/⁠⁠

Find out more about Penny and Think Forward here Penny Strutton | Executive Career & Leadership Development Coach (thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk)

Join the Careers Revolution facebook group here (3) The Career Revolution | Facebook

David is the Offshore Director at BrandSafway, an international construction company.

David spent the first 21 years of his career working as a civil engineer, building bridges in the UK and Portugal. He shares a fantastic insight into transitioning from hands on engineering to leadership.

In every episode I will be sharing some tips and advice on how to approach a career change or embark on your career journey straight from education. You can find this during the middle of the episode or by using the timestamps below.

00:00 - Introduction

00:40 - part one

26:00 - career change tip

27:25 - part two

To find out more about Penny Strutton and Think Forward Consulting, please visit ⁠www.thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk⁠ or connect with me on ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennystrutton/⁠

If you would like to feature as a guest on the podcast, please do get in touch with Penny on ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Join the Careers Revolution facebook group here (3) The Career Revolution | Facebook

Nic is the Head of Dispute Resolution and Employment Group at Actons Solicitors based in Nottingham.

Nic gives a great insight into the journey he’s taken from university to becoming a qualified solicitor, specifically in the line of employment law. Nic is also the host of the HRD talks podcast. https://www.actons.co.uk/thehrdtalks/

In every episode I will be sharing some tips and advice on how to approach a career change or embark on your career journey straight from education. You can find this during the middle of the episode or by using the timestamps below.

00:00 - Introduction

00:25 - part one

26:50 - career change tip

27:56 - part two

Find out more about Penny and Think Forward here Penny Strutton | Executive Career & Leadership Development Coach (thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk)

Join the Careers Revolution facebook group here (3) The Career Revolution | Facebook

Chris Orme is the sales director at Travelodge.

Chris has had a really interesting career, all centering around the travel industry. Chris’s passion for geography took him travelling around the world before he settled into a career of sales. He shines a light on just how important interpersonal skills are with building successful partnerships both with his team but with his customers as well.

In every episode I will be sharing some tips and advice on how to approach a career change or embark on your career journey straight from education. You can find this during the middle of the episode or by using the timestamps below.

00:00 - Introduction

00:30 - part one

19:55 - career change tip

21:20 - part two

To find out more about Penny Strutton and Think Forward Consulting, please visit ⁠www.thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk⁠ or connect with me on ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennystrutton/⁠

Join the private Facebook Group “The Career Revolution” here

⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecareerrevolution⁠

I was encouraged to share my own story and hope you enjoy the twists and turns I’ve taken to achieve my current role.

From television, to the environment to communities and now coaching/business psychology, I have always been inspired to make a difference. 13 years ago I was made redundant. This gave me the kick up the backside to make a big step change into the world of coaching, training and development, where I’ve now been running my consultancy for 12 years. It has not been an obvious or predictable journey but I certainly have found my vocation and loving it. I hope you find it interesting and look forward to any questions you might have.

To find out more about Penny Strutton and Think Forward Consulting, please visit www.thinkforwardconsulting.co.uk or connect with me on https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennystrutton/

If you would like to feature as a guest on the podcast, please do get in touch with Penny on ⁠[email protected]⁠

Join the Careers Revolution facebook group here (3) The Career Revolution | Facebook

Matt Wilmot is the Group Head of Enterprise IT & Information Security and has been part of Frasers’ journey for the last 2 years.

Matt started in Finance, moved into retail and then spent 5 years in PWC where he was National Retail Lead Cyber Security before moving to Frasers. Matt says he stumbled into the world of IT and Cyber Security but has clearly excelled and grown into an influential role in a FTSE 100 company. Focusing on his leadership, he is truly committed to lead, manage and inspire his team to challenge and progress.

In every episode I will be sharing some tips and advice on how to approach a career change or embark on your career journey straight from education. You can find this during the middle of the episode or by using the timestamps below.

00:00 - Introduction

01:35 - part one

25:40 - career change tip

26:38 - part two

If you would like to feature as a guest on the podcast, please do get in touch with Penny on ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Join the private Facebook Group “The Career Revolution” here

⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecareerrevolution⁠

This week I'm talking to Gareth Emmonds. Gareth spent the first 10 years as a police officer in London  before transferring his skills to a world in human resources. He now holds the position of Head of People and Culture, for Wellbeing Software, a company that develops and maintains software for the health sector. Gareth's story shines a light on what skills and strengths you need to transition into a world of human resources and people development. 

This week I’m talking to James O Hare. James has recently taken up the position of Managing Director for Link Mobility – a  Mobile Solutions and CPaaS provider. James started his career as a telesales operator then moved into a vast array of sales and account management roles. he was recently the Head of Sales and then General Manager for a high growth communications company. James shows just how avid learning and embracing new opportunities has helped him reach the top job.