Amy Williams joined our Talent Agility Programme in 2021 after deciding to come out of her comfort zone and explore a new career. Read her story below.
Hi Amy, how are you today?
Good thanks, I’m doing better than yesterday, and maybe even better tomorrow! We do something in my team where we always share something we’re grateful for, and I have a few for today that’s giving me a positive start; I’ve started my day with a delicious iced latte, our daughter kindly slept in her own bed all night, and flexible working means that I’m happily working from home right now.
That’s great to hear! So tell us, how long have you been working at Admiral Money and what do you do there?
I joined in March 2021 when we were just a team of two, and now we’ve grown to a team of six, so it’s been quite a busy year! I work in the Strategic Partnerships Team, which looks after two streams of work. The first is Procurement, which is where I sit as a Strategic Partnerships Executive, and I look after all third-party engagements. The other side to the team is Commercial which takes care of all our price comparison relationships.
I’m essentially responsible for the strategic development and management of Admiral Money suppliers to ensure we maximise the value of the services we receive and minimise risk to the business. I love that I work with almost every department, and we’re one of the first to support the business in driving change. The role is quite broad covering different responsibilities such as owning and developing supplier propositions from concept to implementation, and general stakeholder management, internally and externally.
How did you get into your role? What’s your background?
I’ve worked in Admiral for 11 years now, which has flown by! Prior to that I did the university thing as a way to branch out of my little hometown, Tenby. Like many, I went into the real world with no idea of what I wanted to do, so I applied for the Claims Graduate Programme that I spotted with Admiral, as I’d seen a lot about it being a great place to work. I worked in Claims Liability for two and a half years, making some lifelong friends, before joining Recruitment which provided me with further exposure to the business.
Then of course, Covid hit, and it seemed to make a lot of people reflect on what they wanted, me included. The Talent Agility Programme (TAP) was a new internal development initiative to support colleagues who were looking to explore different career paths around the business. I applied, and soon saw myself on my first placement in a key business project in Claims. It was definitely scary coming out of my comfort zone, but my independence grew, and I discovered more about what I wanted for my career. I wanted to work in a team with good people, in an area with an exciting future, and be in an autonomous role where I can impact change and make a difference. I had recruited for Admiral Money before, so I knew the people and culture was a good fit, and after speaking with a few areas of the business, I knew Procurement could offer me the career I was looking for. A year on, Admiral Money has celebrated its five-year anniversary, and as Scott Cargill, Admiral Money’s CEO, always says “we are just getting started!”.
What’s been your biggest highlight working here?
There’ve been lots of highlights working here. The way we’ve grown into the dynamic and strong Strategic Partnerships team we are today has been great to see. As a business, reaching one billion pounds in lending and becoming profitable was a huge team achievement. And on a personal note, the support I’ve had has really helped me get to a confident place in my career with an exciting future ahead. It's kind of scary to uproot your whole career in a completely different direction, so I have to say I’m pretty proud to have done this and to see where I am now.
What excites you the most about the future of Admiral Money?
Admiral Money is part of a huge market; we provide personal loans, car finance, and we’re continuing to do so much to make the right enhancements, making the act of borrowing easier for our customers. Loans is just the start, we plan to expand in the future with new ventures on the horizon, so watch this space!
Discover more about working at Admiral Money.
