Roxy Almond


Joined in: 2020

Job title: Security Programme Coordinator

After graduating with a philosophy degree at the University of Birmingham, Roxy came to Advanced to kickstart her career; initially joining the Customer Care team, before finding her true calling in the Security and Compliance (S&C) function as a Security Programme Coordinator.

We caught up with Roxy recently to gather her thoughts on the importance of celebrating International Women’s Day, and to find out what more we can all do to make sure that women are treated with equality within the workplace.

A Career in Security and Compliance

I think the fact that even though working in security is hard work and can be a challenge at times; it’s also immensely rewarding, and I’ve learned a lot so far, but I’ve still got a long way to go. I really enjoy getting to know both aspects of the role as well because it’s a merge of project management and security, so I’m being given the freedom to go and learn about the stuff that I find interesting.

Another rewarding aspect is that I’m able to see the learning that I’m doing now, pay off later. It’s very gratifying to manage a project through to its completion and know that you’ve helped push towards that. It’s all about getting stuck in, getting stuff done, and then seeing how the learning pays off in the long run.

Everyone in the team is really helpful and if I need to ask about more of the technical stuff, they’re always there to support me. In fact, I’ve found that in general, people within Advanced are always willing to help you out, so long as you reach out to them. So, if you’re struggling with something, you’ll always find that reassurance and support from your colleagues, even if they work in a completely separate area of the business.

Company Culture

For sure I think everyone at Advanced is super friendly. I think it’s harder nowadays to feel the culture when you’re working from home and having limited interactions with people.

Pre-Covid, the Mailbox office was buzzing with lots going on every day, and that’s kind of how I got to know the security team. If I’d have been doing my role from home, I probably would have never met those people and wouldn’t be in the role I am in now. Now that I’m going back to the office - it’s nice to have that feeling again.

You still do get the same feeling when you’re working with people over the phone, via email, and on teams but it is just a little bit different from what it used to be like.

But I feel like there’s still a sense of togetherness, especially with the Diversity and Inclusion networks that we have on Teams like the Advanced Women Network, Advanced Enable, Black Lives Matter, Team Rainbow, and a men’s mental health network - On The MENd. They all schedule regular meetings and there’s always an opportunity to get involved if you want to.

Importance of International Women’s Day

I think it’s really important to give women the ability to see what opportunities are out there. There might be some women who are less likely to apply for jobs because of them being in such a male-dominated field. Or maybe they haven’t had access to as much information surrounding a role and so are unaware of the options available. I think that its vitally important to break down those barriers within the workplace.

It’s important to have visibility of women in all different areas of life, so everyone can see what opportunities there are, so what it’s possible to do. International Women’s Day is a really great opportunity to celebrate women and to give this visibility. It is inspiring seeing other women succeeding and so this may help give other women the encouragement to do something they might have otherwise been hesitant about.

The role and career I work in is currently very male dominated and so it would be great if any women were to see what we’ve discussed and then look into Cyber Security as an option if it is something they haven’t considered before.

Going Forward

There’s starting to be a lot more action being taken by the business; it seems like there’s the start of a movement going on with the introduction of the women’s network meetings, and by celebrating International Women’s Day every year.

Visibility for me is the key aspect, making sure that we keep having people talking openly and that we continue to raise awareness of giving that equal opportunity to people at work. So, I feel like we should make sure to continue showcasing the success of women within the business in a variety of roles.

I have a mix of women in my life who are great role models. In my close family, I look up to my mum. She is always working hard to support others and will be helping to solve issues whenever there’s a problem. She is always looking to learn and try new things and is very creative, so I feel like there is a lot to learn from her.