The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 33: Oct/Nov 2017 | Page 33

IN PROFILE
Why were you interested in
Switch On To Swindon?
I heard about this opportunity while I was fi nishing my
time at Nationwide and was looking for a new challenge.
After a very busy career, I felt it was time to take a break
but also to give back and to become more involved in the
local community. A colleague mentioned it to me and I felt
it could be right for me and that I could really help and add
value with my long experience in business at a senior level.
Where were you before you
came to Swindon?
Jenny Groves
Place Board Chair,
Switch On To Swindon
Jenny lives in Swindon Old Town,
with her husband Rob and their
children Jess 19 and Josh 16.
She has lived in Swindon since
1988 and enjoyed a long career
at the Nationwide Building
Society where she rose to
Director of Branch and Property
Transformation. She took up the
role with Switch On To Swindon
in March this year after fi nishing a
30 year career with Nationwide.
including swimming, football and rugby and have been
members of local sports clubs.
Originally we did envisage moving to one of the nearby
villages but found we couldn’t match a house to our
budget and we moved to Old Town instead. Once we got
here, we loved it and this is where we will stay. We can
walk anywhere and Old Town does have a particular vibe
and community feel which we love.
What is your role in Switch
On To Swindon?
Originally, I’m from Northern Ireland and spent my
childhood there and went to Queen’s University in Belfast
where I took a degree in Computer Science, Statistics &
Operational Research (it was all the rage then). I couldn’t
get a job in Ireland so came to Northampton in England
to work as a graduate in the IT department of the Anglia
Building Society. Later the Anglia & Nationwide merged
and I moved to Swindon. I see my main role as to demonstrate my absolute
passion for this town by bringing my 30 years of business
experience to bear. I chair board meetings where I seek to
bring a bit of focus, balance and hopefully fresh thinking
and ideas alongside the experience of those who have
been supporting Swindon for a very long time. I may not
have been born and bred here but I think of myself as a
genuine Swindonian and this town and its future really
matters to me.
What are your fi rst memories
of Swindon? What is the aim of Switch
On To Swindon?
The fi rst time I drove here with a group of friends and we
drove over the Magic Roundabout and after we’d done
that, we stopped the car, looked back and thought ‘what
the heck was that?’ or words to that effect! The truth
was I thought it was a town with lots of roundabouts and
housing estates.
What were your early impressions
once you’d moved here?
A friend and I moved into a house together in Freshbrook
and I remember we got lost and drove around for an hour
trying to fi nd it. At that time Swindon was very similar to
Northampton – with similar old industrial backgrounds.
Northampton had been known for shoes, Swindon for
the railways. Both were about equidistant from London.
I quickly realised Swindon was more affl uent, and that its
old industry had been replaced by blue chip companies so
it never felt it was hanging on to that industrial past. It was
a nicer, more relaxed town and it also felt safer at night.
This was important to two single young women.
How did your experience
of the town change?
I met my husband and persuaded him to come to Swindon
and we had our children here and I did fi nd myself
becoming more defensive of the town. It’s frequently
run down by those who live here – and by those who
live outside the town. Our family experience has been
great – Swindon has some issues around education but
our children’s journeys have been fantastic. We’ve got no
complaints. They’ve both enjoyed – and do enjoy – sports
WORK - MEET - EVENTS - CAFÉ
The ultimate aim is to bring inward investment into the
town by attracting new employers and employees – it’s
also about retaining the wonderful businesses we have in
the town and ensuring they want to stay.
At the moment we’re spending a lot of time marketing
our town and currently gathering positive stories about the
people who are sharing their experiences, thoughts and
feelings. We have to learn to love Swindon ourselves and
have a shared desire to do that.
Currently we are also looking at ways of encouraging
people to think positively about Swindon by looking at
signage for strong positive and consistent messaging
around the town’s gateways such as junction 16 of
the M4, around the railway station, and other major
developments.
We are also looking to represent Swindon at major
events outside of the town to show we’re open for
business and a great place to live.
What makes Swindon great today?
It’s the people – always the people. It’s easy to overlook
the fact Swindon is one of the most productive urban
areas in the UK, it has very low unemployment and is
extremely innovative. By a variety of measures it’s a very,
very successful town and we have to stop being an untold
story and be proud of this town, its industrial past and its
innovative and evolving future.
@SOTSwindon
For more info:
www.switchontoswindon.com
––
Be part of the innovative south-west business community at Hartham Park
MAKE HISTORY
01249 700 000
Harthampark.com
Corsham, Wiltshire
Just off M4 Junction 17
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2017
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