Our CEO Sue put in a first class appearance when she went to a Nottingham school to take part in an interactive careers Q&A session.

Sue visited Bluecoat Wollaton Academy to meet a group of Year 10 students keen to know more about her career path and to receive tips and support on how to begin shaping their own futures. The school was drawn out of the hat for the opportunity to participate after their careers teacher signed them up to digital classroom resources developed by us in partnership with tech company EVERFI, and available to schools across the country.

The Career Academy resources – which the students who took part in the Q&A session have accessed, as well as their Year 11 peers – include identifying favourite subjects, completing career and personality tests, online research into jobs and listing past achievements.

As an intro to the Q&A session Sue explained her journey from her upbringing in Hull to avoiding becoming a pheasant farmer or panel beater (yes, they were options!) and into a career in sales and then working her way up the financial services ladder. Sue then answered questions on themes ranging from the role of digital marketing in a building society to “how much money do you earn?”! Other queries were about the value of qualifications versus experience and what personal attributes are important to succeed.

In response to the importance of marketing question the young people were enthralled as Sue told them a fabulous story, one which gives insight into how positive profile can drive great results, about how her then puppy Bungle amassed 10,000 Facebook followers after being ‘arrested’ for biting a police officer before being released from ‘jail’ due to social media-led people power!

 Talking after the event student Aayan, who dreams of a career in marketing, said: “I really enjoyed the session. It inspired me and opened my view of financial services and careers within it and elsewhere. It was great to be able to ask questions to a building society CEO, and I realise now the important role marketing plays in finance.”

We hope to continue to grow our Career Academy links with Bluecoat Wollaton Academy in the future, perhaps in the form of work experience sessions giving them a further snapshot of the multitude of roles across our organisation.