Name: Hannah Gandhi
Current Role: Circulation & Trade Marketing Manager
Joined Seymour: September 2017
Career overview:
I started in the Client Services team as Circulation & Trade Marketing Executive in 2017, having come out of university. I was a bit anxious about entering the working world for the first time on a full-time basis, but the Seymour team made me feel very welcome, including my line managers who have all been supportive, approachable and easy to talk to.
Fast forward to the present day and I have been promoted twice into the role of Circulation & Trade Marketing Manager, often using my knowledge to present to a number of clients, run workshops for the internal team, present within company updates and train up new starters in the business, which have all been incredibly rewarding experiences and serve as a daily reminder of how far I have come!
A day in the life:
Seymour is a workplace that respects flexibility and work-life balance; currently we are asked to come into the office twice a week, with everyone in on a Wednesday. This means that I can catch up with my peers in person, as well as being able to work from home and join meetings over Teams. Our working hours are 9-5:30pm, but Seymour currently operates a flexi-time approach, which enables employees to adjust their lifestyle commitments around their work responsibilities, provided we cover off the core hours of 10-4pm and work the full number of hours stated in our contract.
Seymour rewards employees with a loyalty scheme that gives employees an extra day of annual leave for every 5+ years of service within the company.
What’s the culture like:
Fun and collaborative, with plenty of opportunities to get involved. One of the things that I enjoy most about working at Seymour is that there isn’t a hierarchical structure and I can easily have a conversation with a director without it going through the ranks!
I enjoy championing equality and value being able to make a difference in the workplace – I feel lucky enough to be part of a company that enables me to voice my opinions and contribute towards shaping the culture of the business. This is exemplified through my contribution towards variety of streams in the business including the ED&I group, Online project group, “Change Makers” sustainability group and Seymour social club, to name a few. Additionally, these projects have provided a great platform to network with my peers within the wider business.
Development opportunities:
Seymour run a wealth of additional courses to supplement learning, including company-wide “lunch & learn” sessions, the industry recognised ACE magazine circulation course, plus courses hosted by experts in their field both from within and outside of the business to build on critical thinking and management skills. -There are also opportunities to train, mentor and coach employees within the business, which is immensely rewarding.