IoD Ambassador Spotlight

Position/company:

Customer and Commercial Director/Go-Ahead Group.

Describe your current role/company:

Responsible for commercial strategy, customer experience, stakeholder management, sustainability and ESG at one of the UK’s leading public transport providers with bus and rail operations across the country and overseas in Ireland, Germany, Singapore, Norway and Sweden.

Previous roles:

Head of Marketing at LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, Sales and Marketing Manager at Warwick Castle.

Other information (eg other positions held, charity roles):

Non-Exec Director at Go To Places (Destination Management and Placemaking specialists).

Outside work (hobbies/interests):

Art, hiking, cycling, cinema, theatre and literature.

How long have you been an IoD member?

I have been an IoD member for 2 years during which time I have completed both the Certificate and Diploma in Company direction. Being a member has been a great support as my career has developed and the networking opportunities are priceless.

Describe your role as an Ambassador, include title and branch/region

In my Ambassador role in Oxfordshire I focus on Sustainability and Travel and Tourism. Sustainability and ESG are priorities for all businesses across Oxfordshire and its my job to share resources from IoD with our members to support them on their sustainability journey. I also help businesses in our fantastic regional travel and tourism economy by listening to the needs of our members and enabling IoD to be a major voice for all industry sectors.

What part of IoD membership do you value most?

For me the most valuable aspects of my membership are the access to brilliant resources such as the Sustainability Hub which helps me to keep up to date with best practice. I also enjoy the articles and learning resources available via the Digital Academy and try to carve out time every week to devote to learning.

What are the top three things about your branch area?

Oxfordshire is a really dynamic area. We have members from all sectors and with strong links to academia, as region, we are at the leading edge of technology to combat and adapt to climate change. Our networking events are always lively given the breadth of expertise across our members and brand ambassadors.

What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?

Meeting more IoD members and building a stronger local network in the region so that we can be as prepared and resilient as possible as a community of business leaders to meet whatever challenges we’ll face next!