How I use project skills outside my 9-to-5

Once in a while, I pause to take stock of how I arrived where I am today. I balance a demanding career, two community roles and an enduring fascination with how people and organisations make projects happen – and sometimes not happen! None of it was part of a plan, yet each step has shaped who I am both professionally and personally.

An accidental project manager

I am a project and programme manager by background and training, with around 20 years of experience. I fell into the profession by accident through a PA role at the Department for Transport (a well-known recruitment firm erroneously told me it was with the British Transport Police), which turned into a project coordinator role, and I have never looked back.

My career has taken me through HR services, transformation and major projects at Transport for London, consultancy at the Big Four, legal account management, and serving as Project Director for the land and property elements of a multibillion-pound scheme.

I am now a Partner in a boutique consultancy, Ceva Global. I work with my talented partners to support the public sector and its supply chain on transformation and reform projects that are either just beginning or have stalled. All of which has helped grow my interest in how society perceives projects, both large and small.

Professional skills for the greater good

I also have two extracurricular roles: one as a director of a shadow Residents’ Management Company (‘shadow’, as we are still waiting to acquire the right to manage) for one of the largest mixed-use developments in West London, and the other as a Trustee and Secretary for Hounslow Community FoodBox.

I became involved in the former simply by being a resident and wanting to support my neighbours by helping our development to run effectively. The latter came about through a more unusual route. I’m active in local social media groups and try to offer a balanced, informed perspective in response to angry or ill-informed posts.

I believe in providing clear and accurate information, rather than allowing emotion and hearsay to dominate discussion. The Chair noticed this and approached me out of the blue to ask if I would consider becoming a Trustee. The answer was a resounding yes.

FoodBox is a charity operating in the London Borough of Hounslow that was created to help prevent poverty and support those in a time of need with both essential food supplies and assistance to get their lives back on track. Founded in 2012, it provides support, advice and emergency food to residents who are referred to us. The charity is run by two staff members, a large team of dedicated volunteers and the Board of Trustees.

Governance and comms

On stepping into the role, I also became the Secretary, making me the charity’s primary governance, compliance and administrative officer. The role encompasses:

governance and compliance
meetings and board administration
record keeping
communication and liaison
operational support
supporting good governance, including ensuring policies remain up-to-date.

A crossover of skills

The overlap with a PMO function is striking. It is thus impossible not to draw on the breadth of my career when performing the role, which is deeply satisfying. I’ve lived and breathed these tools and techniques since my early twenties.

It’s equally hard not to take these experiences back into my day job, my other non-work role and life more broadly. The volunteers’ dedication is humbling, as are the experiences that bring our clients to us. This makes for a constant reminder to approach people and life with gratitude and compassion.

I hope it helps me continue to live my values, however clichéd that may sound. All in all, I have much to be grateful for – a fascinating career, opportunities to do my bit for the world and supportive friends and family who enable the rest – and project management seems to facilitate it.