Prior to joining Barclays, politics was my passion: I spent 8 month working for my local MP in Westminster, and also a summer working for a US Congressman in Washington D.C. Following this I spent a year living in Russia, in Siberia and Moscow, as part of my Politics and Russian degree at Durham. All of these were hugely formative experiences, not simply in developing my taste for a challenge and being out of my comfort zone (which definitely happened a lot!) but also in realising my passions for social issues, in particular gender equality.
I started my formal career on the Barclays Operations Graduate Scheme in 2012, and was last year promoted to VP after 4 and a half years with the Bank. During this time I have held a variety of roles across the back office, including as a HR Chief of Staff and for the last two years I have been focusing on Tech and Non-Tech Change in Barclays International. I have recently been assigned to the Barclays Brexit Programme, which I see as a perfect example of the union of personal interest and career opportunity.
Working at a large organisation has allowed me to indulge my personal driver for regular change while also building a network and developing depth in my experience; it has also allowed me to explore both internally and externally the role I can play in championing gender equality. I am the Co-Chair of the Develop and Promote Committee for Win, the Barclays Gender Network, and have had the opportunity to lend my project management skills and also fundraising efforts for charities externally, raising over £22,000 to date.