The first 12 months in a new role is a crucial time full of learning, building new relationships and establishing yourself within a business or organisation.
Helen Hardie, Business Manager at InTec, recently told us about her journey into the role and how the first year has gone so far.
Name: Helen Hardie
Company: inTEC Business Newcastle
Job Title: Business Manager
What's your professional background and interests?
Nearly 20 years ago (which is hard to admit!) I studied law at Northumbria University and was preparing to join a law firm to become a qualified solicitor. I ultimately decided that wasn't the career for me and took some time to go travelling around Australia. It turned out six months sunning myself on a beach was too much hard work, so I headed home ready for my next challenge! Following a spell as an Admin Manager, I fell in to Account Management because I love working directly with customers.
What attracted you to this role and company?
The company is so passionate about getting it right for our customers, which as an Account Manager is a dream! They also genuinely value their people with initiatives like free breakfasts, Culture Champions and regular company update meetings – it is so important for the whole team to understand the aims and achievements of a business and I think this is often overlooked.
What does a typical day look like?
It’s a cliché, but there is no typical day! I will most likely have a few customer calls in the diary, which could range from a quick 5 minute catch up to a project update call to a quarterly meeting that is road mapping IT requirements for the next 2 – 5 years. There is usually at least one networking event a week that allows me to meet other businesses in the area. Internal meetings to look at marketing strategies, product training, personal development also play a part. And of course, I am always battling my inbox!
What are the key challenges in your role?
There are a lot of people involved in keeping our customers supported and happy so I’m often organising a lot of diaries to make things happen, managing customer expectations in the process.
What has surprised you most in the last 12 months?
The expertise that we have within the business, I’m not from an IT background myself so building a relationship with people who are genuinely experts in their field has been so important for me.
What are the best bits about the role?
That there is no typical day! I really thrive when work is busy and varied so this is a perfect fit for me.
How would you describe the company culture?
Engaging, fun and supportive! We’re able to offer hybrid working so that the Monday morning commute is a thing of the past and our People & Culture Director, Kate Wood, goes to great lengths to make sure that everyone is heading in the same direction.
Can you share details of one project/achievement you are most proud of since starting in this role?
Working with one of my customers to migrate them from their on-premise server to the cloud, which is a huge transition for them as a business. This was 6 months in the planning and it fills me with a real sense of pride that they have trusted our advice and guidance to make this investment in the future of their business.
Thank you Helen!
Learn more about careers at Intec here.
