I asked Gareth Nicholas, Business Development Manager, about what inspired his career and the path he took to get there. He started as a training accountant after he finished his A-levels where he realised that it wasn’t the job he wanted to do, instead he pursued a career in sales where he started working at The NSBRC in 2008 then rejoined in 2015 after a brief hiatus. When considering the rewards he gets from his job as a Business Development Manager, he said that the centre gives him an opportunity to be a part of a business where there is a friendly atmosphere within the team. As the centre is employee owned, Gareth felt this allows him to be “a little bit entrepreneurial” and “can say what I think and can maybe have an impact in the business without any risks”. In response to what he would be doing if he wasn’t in his current job: “I like property, so I’d probably be doing something in that department” however, he would more than likely be doing something similar to the job he is doing now. Finally, his advice for a young individual going into work is to:
“say yes to every opportunity you are given - what you start off doing when you leave school won’t define you for the rest of your life”
When speaking with Kelly Webb who is the Front of House Team Leader, I asked her about how she got inspired to take on her career: “I’ve always worked in hospitality as I love talking to different people every day-especially in this job I can talk to people about their projects”. She went on to talk about the journey she took to get to where she is now: this was through always working in customer service from working in a bread shop to also working the Defence Academy in Shrivenham where she helped put on events for the military and royalty. The reward she gets from her role is that she is proud that “although we are a small team, what we accomplish is brilliant through all the events we carry out”. When giving advice to a young person going into work, Kelly suggested that “young people should get stuck in as every day is a learning day to pickup new skills”. If Kelly wasn’t working at the centre, she would want to be working as a Wedding Planner, have her own restaurant or own a B&B. This shows her passion for providing good customer service and links to her love for working in hospitality.
I spoke to Harvey Fremlin who is the Managing Director here at The NSBRC. I asked him about what inspired his career and what path he took to get to where he is now: “I started off working mainly in customer services and sales roles for a couple of big employers in and around Swindon, then I worked for my dad’s company for several years”.
Harvey told me about his passion for acting: he joined amateur dramatic groups, went to summer school to learn about Shakespeare in Birmingham which led him to be inspired to go to an audition at the Poor School in London where he had acting training for 2 years. However, due to the competitive environment in the acting profession, Harvey decided to investigate a permanent role and found The NSBRC. Here he found that his previous acting training and his time working on a building site with his uncle became relevant and made work here exciting. Harvey has now been working here for 19 years. When being asked about the rewards he gets from being Manging Director at the centre, he said “I love my role, I think one of the most exciting things about running a smaller company is that I can take on different responsibilities. I can be working on our marketing strategy and looking at sales, but I really enjoy working with the team of employee owners that we’ve got. We have got a fantastic, dedicated team, which makes my job very easy”. When giving advice to a young individual, Harvey would suggest “don’t stress too much, if you are unsure what you want to do” he believes that it is:
"You should find something that you are passionate and interested in and that’s where work is going to feel enjoyable”
Finally, I asked him what he would be doing if he didn’t work at The NSBRC to which he said “As I already have a couple of rescue hens at home, I would want to have my own small holding where I would have a flock of chickens, a few goats and some micro pigs! Alongside that I would also love to run my own podcast about indie music from the 80s and 90s”.
When talking to Marketing Executive Louisa Flynn, I asked her about her career journey, which started with her interest in graphic design. She decided to do graphic design at college which she then got a degree in at university, however once she finished her 2 years, Louisa realised that she wanted to use her graphic design skills in marketing. When starting out in the marketing industry Louisa “did some courses at Gloucestershire College” which she enjoyed as well as processing that she “preferred the strategies behind the design which led me to this role”. When thinking about the rewards she gets from working at The NSBRC, Louisa “would say the team and the atmosphere. No matter what you do, there is always praise behind it from everyone” she also found that “pulling off an event and realising it was good I find really rewarding”. I went on to ask Louisa about the advice she would give to any young people who are going into work, she would advise them to “do what you enjoy, take it easy and see where things take you”. When being asked what job she would be in if she wasn’t a Marketing Executive, Louisa would “love to do a job working with animals or be travelling”.
I spoke to Rob Bohm, a Technical Expert who specialises in heating and energy. He told me about the inspiration and path he has had which led to his job here at the NSBRC. When he was younger, he was always handy and skilful, and this developed when he was with his stepdad who was a plumbing and heating engineer. Rob told me, “I helped my stepdad out with jobs which I found really enjoyable because I was being creative and making things”. Rob did an apprenticeship where he became a fully qualified primary heat engineer however due to the large recession which hit, he lost his job, he then went on to start his own business.
Years on from this Rob decided to make a change. He joined an independent construction consultancy business where he was doing project management work where he could use his experience in the building trade but, he started to realise that “I could use my skills to do consultancy work for clients, for heating, sustainability and energy usage which led me to be introduced to The NSBRC”. I questioned Rob with what he finds rewarding about working here to which he answered “The centre is such a comfortable and nice environment to work in. One thing that I find enjoyable is helping people and giving them independent advice. I show them things in the centre that they didn’t know about and it’s great to spend time in here and showcase how good the centre is”. If Rob wasn’t a Technical Expert, he said that “I would have love to become an Architect as I’ve always liked design and construction. I also enjoy talking to Architects and working with them on projects”.
When giving advice to a young person starting work, Rob would say to:
“make sure you are happy in your work and don’t get hung up on having to decide and that will be your job for the rest of your life. Your work life is a journey so keep learning because you are constantly picking up things from those around you”
