Whistle-stop Wednesdays: What it takes to lead the Tech Governance framework

What do you do in Admiral and how long have you been working here?

I have been with Admiral for almost 5 years and I am Head of the Office of the CIO, managing 11 teams, approximately 70 people. My department look after the governance across the whole of Tech and are evolving to include the strategic planning side of things too.

How did you get into your role? What is your background?

I joined my previous company on a Graduate Training Scheme straight from university, in the days before the world was so connected, and I was seconded onto a project to carry out the End User Testing and Training on a Project to implement a mainframe computer and new software. This was in the days when back-ups were manually carried out to floppy discs and posted to Head Office. My journey in Tech started there and I carried out a variety of roles including Helpdesk Manager, Product Owner and Governance Manager before moving to Admiral to set up a Tech Governance Department.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I like the variety that comes with running multi-disciplined teams. I can be discussing a process for break fix on a laptop one minute and then switch to discussing the results of our Minimum Standards assessment the next. There is never a dull moment.

What's the most exciting change or project happening within your area?

The project I’m most excited about is our Service Management Maturity Project, which will re-engineer and interconnect all the processes required to serve our end users and ultimately the customer more efficiently. The project is a mix of process re-engineering and new state-of the art tooling, which together will bring great benefits to both Tech and the end-user.

Do you think there are lots of opportunities to grow and develop here?

The opportunities in Admiral are like nothing I have ever experienced before, and it is great to see the training and development opportunities we provide. From face-to-face training, subscriptions to on-line training services, to one-to-one mentoring with Senior Managers - the opportunities are endless if you are ambitious and dedicated.

What’s the culture like in Admiral Tech?

We have tried very hard to retain our culture of fun and hard work whilst working in a remote world and it has paid dividends with productivity increasing over the past year. Our fun is carried out over Microsoft Teams or email now, but it is amazing to see how many remote “fun” businesses have appeared. We have taken advantage of cocktail making classes, comedians, magicians and cheese and wine tasting sessions to name but a few.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to join your team?

Now is a great time to start looking at the job ads as the Service Management Project will see multiple opportunities become available over the next year. Also, as a FTSE 100 Financial Services Company, there is increasing focus on Governance Functions within Admiral. To be successful in one of the teams in the Office of the CIO you would need a great attention to detail, a process driven mindset together with a desire to improve the way we do things.

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