Here at Jarilo Design I work as a HR and Business Development Manager. Here is a little about myself!
Having graduated from Liverpool John Moores University back in 2006, I then started my career in Buying and Merchandising at Shop Direct. Here I learnt so many skills in organisation and planning which I still use in my everyday life.
After 3 years, I then decided I wanted to gain some more experience at a different company and got a role as a Business Development Analyst at Matalan. It was here where I gained my confidence and really got my career going in terms of promotions. After a good few years of working on projects and working in a very varied role, I then decided to home in on the Learning and Development element as this is what I enjoyed most. I know it sounds cheesy but if I went home after a day’s work knowing I had helped just one person, I was happy.
During this time in my personal life I had got married and had a gorgeous little boy. Maternity leave was the most amazing time which I enjoyed every minute of. Something changed in me though and I didn’t want to go back to the corporate world. I wanted a fresh start. I decided that I wanted to work for a smaller company as I knew this would be different experience altogether and it has been the best decision I have ever made. After returning to work from having my baby, Chris and Jon could not have been more supportive. At a time when my baby’s immune system was kicking in and he was catching every bug possible they never made me feel guilty about having to tend to him. They understood that as a working mum I do have another major priority in my life and something they really supported. They understood that sometimes balancing work and a personal life can sometimes be quite difficult, ensuring that everything at home was running smoothly as well as hitting your deadlines at work. This is where my experience in Buying and Merchandising came in and that is to plan, plan, plan and organise, organise, organise! Being super organised not only allows you to run more efficiently, it also helps create an inner calmness which is required in a fast-paced environment such as Jarilo Design. Having this support just showed me what Jarilo Designs values and morale’s are which are not only reflected in their employees but also goes through to their customers.
I settled in really quickly and put all my experiences together to produce new processes in HR, pushing new business development ideas through to fruition and working with the team members to ensure their career journeys are going in the right direction for them. I am so lucky to work with such a great team and for a business which celebrates so many successes!
