TEES UP !
NAME : HARRIET SPALDING AGE : 29 BORN : STOCKTON LIVES : NEASHAM COMPANY & JOB TITLE : INVESTMENT , SALES & MARKETING MANAGER , MANDALE GROUP
When I was at school , I wanted to be … a professional sports player of some description . I was good at all sports at school but I never found anything I excelled in . I love sport – cycling , hockey , running , the gym , watching it , following it .
The best business decision I ever made was … moving to Mandale . It ’ s a family business so that might sound like a natural decision but I left school not really knowing what I wanted to do so I went into accountancy . It took me three years working as an accountant to realise it wasn ’ t what I wanted to do . When I moved I was given the opportunity to try various roles , and I ’ ve fallen into something I really enjoy .
The worst business decision I ever made was … I never went to university , and I wish I had gone , only for the experience . I didn ’ t want to go because I didn ’ t know what I wanted to do with my life , so I couldn ’ t pick something to study . I think I ’ d have enjoyed university so I think I might have missed out . At least I wasn ’ t left with the financial burden of going to university .
The best part of my job is … the people I work with . I do work with my family , which I do enjoy – and rarely hate . At Mandale , we all get on really well , communicate well and it really does feel like a big team effort . There ’ s no finger-pointing , there ’ s just a good vibe .
The biggest downside of my working life is … never switching off . I think it ’ s a mixture of reluctance and inability , but I find it hard to switch off . With it being a family business the only time my phone doesnt ring with work really is over the Christmas period . I know this is the case with a lot of people , but it ’ s one of the reasons i look forward to the break !
If I could change one thing to help my organisation it would be … probably changing government policy . With construction and property development , there is so much legislation and policy in place that you spend valuable resources often going round in circles . Some of the loops we have to jump through are there for a very good reason , but often we hit barriers and sticking points that are arduous and unnecessary . It would be so much easier if there was a way to streamline things .
Four words to describe me are … fair , open , reliable and optimistic .