Many of us think that what we do is incredibly technical and specialist, but the underlying business acumen, understanding of audiences and communication skills are all qualities charities and social enterprises value.
I’ve been at Virgin Media, through its various incarnations, for most of my working life and I’ll be celebrating 20 years in the telecoms sector next year. This has been a period of real upheaval; we’ve all had to learn fast and work hard, but it’s certainly been an exciting time. I’ve been very privileged to have a varied and rewarding career and I certainly can’t imagine working in any other industry. However, working in this sector does sometimes feel like being in a bubble and it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture – not everyone is so fortunate.
Perhaps this is a bit of a cliché, but I’d reached a point in my professional life where I felt settled and fulfilled; I felt it was a time to give something back. The professional development team at work suggested some voluntary work might help me to scratch that itch and pointed me towards Pilotlight.
Pilotlight matches senior business people with charities and social enterprises to offer consultancy to help charities become more strategic and impactful. I was placed in a small team of execs from a wide variety of backgrounds, ranging from technology to sales. Our first project is with the Anne Frank Trust, a charity that offers educational programmes to schools to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination.
The consultancy model doesn’t require you to have any prior knowledge of the charity world or of the specifics of the organisation’s core focus. Rather, by bringing to bear the collective experience gained in the commercial world we are able to offer a fresh and objective perspective. This can be all it takes to push strategic changes that will have positive outcomes in the longer term...