Can you tell us about your role and responsibilities at Invotra?
I am responsible for Finance, HR and Facilities for Invotra. My day-to-day role is highly varied and involves a lot of ensuring that my departments run smoothly, however, I have a brilliant team to support me in this. I am also the driving force behind our very successful apprenticeship scheme.
How did your journey begin at Invotra?
My journey at Invotra (formerly io1) began in Knaphill in 2004 when the company was founded by Fintan Galvin and Jonnie Russell. Initially, my role involved wearing many, many hats (as is often the case with start-ups), I essentially ran and managed everything within the business which was non-technical.
As the company grew and became more successful, we decided to move away from development and towards being a SaaS-based business – selling our enterprise intranet and portal software. This was when Invotra was born. Since then, we have more than doubled our workforce and continue to grow.
What is important to you when it comes to working culture?
One of the most important characteristics I look for when recruiting new staff, apart from capability, is their attitude. I always look for people who are hard working, good fun, respectful and who love rising up to challenges. I also value people being able to own up to their own mistakes without “throwing people under the bus”. We also encourage people to volunteer their time to help others within the business. All new starters are allocated a Mentor and a Buddy.
I believe it is the combination of all of these characteristics which makes Invotra a great place to work.
Tell us about a project that you’re working on…
One project I am currently working on is building out a “skills matrix” for the company, mapping specific roles against the knowledge required for the position. This will ultimately help us to identify any skills gaps or areas where we can train up our workforce, either through external courses or internal mentoring and knowledge sharing.
What is one surprising/interesting fact that people don’t know about you?
Before having my eldest son, I was training to become a crude oil trader!
Name one career goal that you would like to achieve in the coming year…
To be responsible for being able to truly scale our culture as we continue to grow across multiple locations, without losing the closeness and great personality we currently have as an SME.
Is there anyone in particular, living or dead, that has inspired you throughout your career progression?
My husband and business partner, Fin, because he has always pushed me to drive my career forward and develop myself as a professional.
