Introduction

So, I guess my M&A journey began when Advanced acquired Smart Apprentices in May 2021, meaning that I’ve now been part of the Advanced family for around eighteen months. My current role is as Development Director for the legal and education business, and it’s a completely different role to the one I started when I joined via the acquisition. During my time at Advanced so far, I’ve been able to grow and expand into new markets as well as the ones that I was already familiar with.

What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your role?

I think the most rewarding aspect of my role is having the people that work alongside me; I'm very fortunate to work with a team that is UK based, as well as our offshore teams based in India. Seeing the hybrid teams come together to collaborate and learn best practices is something that to me is very unique. To then see our features delivered and released to customers is a great feeling, as we can actively see how we’ve been able to make a difference. But yeah, for me, it’s all about people and how we all work together and overcome our locational challenges by making the most of the benefits that hybrid working provides.

Can you tell me what it was like to join Advanced via an acquisition?

Fortunately, I was part of the senior leadership team at Smart Apprentices – so I already had an idea that the acquisition was going to be taking place. Looking back, I remember feeling very excited when the final signatures were being written on the contracts. Being completely honest, Advanced were not a company that I was aware of prior to joining; I was aware of some products but not of the overall brand. Therefore, in those early stages for me it was all about discovering and researching exactly how we would form part of that Advanced family, and mapping out what the next few months would have in store.  

I’m now in the position where I sit on the other side of the fence, and I can really see how Advanced are adapting and are willing to take things onboard with every merger and acquisition that goes by. It shows that Advanced are an adaptive organisation who will both consider and sometimes act on the feedback they receive from the new businesses and people that join.

Joining via an acquisition has meant that I’ve been able to pass on the tips and advice that I’ve gained from my own experiences during my time with the business. Advanced is a big organisation with lots of different ways of working, and I know from having that first-hand experience that it’s a lot to take in and get your head around - especially if you come from a smaller organisation. That's why I’ve always made people aware that when they join the business that they can come to me, and I’ll try to help them in any way that I can!

How has your career changed since the Advanced acquisition?

So, I would say that my career has changed quite a bit since the day I joined Advanced. At the time of the acquisition, I was Head of Technical Operations; six months later I was allocated my new role as an Associate Development Director; and then three months further down the line I was promoted quite quickly into the role I’m in now as a Development Director.

I would definitely say that my time at Advanced has been a bit of a roller coaster so far; it’s been full of excitement and opportunity, and I’m very much looking forward to what the future holds for me here. I’m still relatively new to my role so for the next couple of years I look forward to having that stability going forward, but to sum it up I would say that my first year at Advanced was quite a significant and a positive change in my career!

What advice would you give to anyone joining Advanced (either through acquisition or otherwise)?

Firstly, it’s important that you keep calm and don’t panic; in those early stages it’s all about taking things slowly by listening a lot and absorbing everything that’s going on as best you can. It’s also really important to make some good connections with the people that you’re going to be working with, because their knowledge and their insights will help you immensely once you’re settled into your role.

With the amount of change going on as a new business is acquired, there’s bound to be an information overload, therefore, it’s very important to take things at your own pace, and ask as many questions as you can. Even if you think they’re the most irrelevant questions in the world; put your hand up and ask because you will find out that it was not a silly question, and you can guarantee that about ten other people will have asked the same thing. It might be something as simple as asking when the payday is, or how you go about booking time off, but these things are very important and in my experience, it’s always better to ask those questions as there really is no such thing as a silly question.

How would you describe the culture here at Advanced?

What I’ve found in terms of the culture here at Advanced is that everyone is willing to help each other, and that supportive and inclusive culture really helps people to thrive. At Advanced you will be welcomed in with open arms in terms of the business wanting you to come in, learn and become successful. It’s also nice to know that your views will be considered and listened to which is quite refreshing when you consider the scale and size of the organisation.

For me, it’s down to the simple things like the monthly virtual Town Hall sessions, which is used as an open forum for anyone to ask questions aimed at the CEO and other members of the Advanced leadership team. It’s very refreshing to work for an organisation that listens to its people.

I love that I get to come in and work in the head office based in the Mailbox (Birmingham, UK) as it's full of friendly people, and colleagues - it's nice to break any barriers you may have virtually by coming in and getting to know a person over a coffee on your lunch break. 

What do you hope to achieve during the rest of your time with the business?

Above everything else, my main goal that I want to achieve is just to make a difference. I'm very passionate about driving the careers of women into the technology sector. I want to see young females, and women who feel that they can’t do these types of roles to see that there is no barrier, and I want to make sure that is front and centre. Therefore, for me to make a difference, I’d like to see more females working in more technical roles; this is something that I’m incredibly passionate about, and I’m currently driving several initiatives which will help to challenge the stigma around women working in tech.

I want to promote the view that there aren’t jobs that need to be segregated into ones that are suitable for boys and others that are suited to girls; what I believe is the right jobs are out there for people with the right skills, and I really want to make a difference by pushing against those stereotypes that exist within the workplace.

We have already seen a lot of progress during my time within the tech industry with more females coming forward and applying for roles within our Engineering teams, which I think is fantastic! I was the first female UK Development Director here at Advanced, which is something that I’m quite proud of, and my main aim is just to inspire people to believe that they can do this too!