Natalie joined CEVA in the UK in May 2011 as a PA/Secretary, she is now an IT Solution Design Analyst.
I started working for CEVA in 2011, as a PA/Secretary, working at the UK Head Office in Ashby de la Zouch. I got the job through a recruitment agency. It sounded like a good position, working with a nice team.
It was a slightly strange start. I was supposed to be secretary to the IT Leader Europe, but the position was only filled temporarily, so in the meantime I supported the UK IT team for the first three months.
The onboarding was good – my colleagues were really welcoming and happy to help, even if it was outside Ashby. That’s still the case.
I was offered the opportunity to take part in a pilot of some robotic process automation (RPA) software which led to me becoming the lead for this software for the UK. With no prior IT programming experience it was a steep learning curve but I was guided and supported every step of the way. This role involved looking at the operational processes to assess if they could be automated, and if any value could be added to the operations by implementing the RPA software. I was then responsible for designing and developing the RPA task and supporting it following go live. This ran for three years, with ten months maternity leave.
My current role as IT Solution design analyst was advertised internally and my manager was very supportive that I should apply. Now I work with the Business Development teams and Solution Design Teams to design IT solutions for new customers. It involves a lot of listening to customers's requirements and then working with local and global IT teams to find the best IT solution for their operation.
I have always been given the opportunity to progress, do different things and learn different skills. I always get support from my boss and my team, and they’re nice to work with.
I’m really proud of the work I did on the mobile phone supplier switch. I had just come back from maternity leave, and it was really intense; I was only getting three hours’ sleep a night, but the project went smoothly.
I have always been supported and given opportunities. If ever I mention anything, it is always picked up and acted on.
I don’t have a clearly-defined plan: I tend to go where the opportunities lead. Right now, I can’t see beyond the next 3-6 years, as I don’t yet know where my current role might take me. I want to really master this role, but there’s still a lot to learn as I am only 6 months into it. This is an opportunity to develop in a senior role so I want to do that and feel comfortable with it. After that, who knows?! I want to increase my exposure to the business and operations, and see where that leads.
CEVA is friendly, supportive, and you get the opportunity to grow if you want to. It’s a worldwide company so you get to speak to people from all over the place. No day is really the same, and every customer is different, but that’s the nature of logistics. You’re encouraged to voice your opinion, and speak out even if you think you might sound stupid!
Yes. While at CEVA I had two children, who are now aged 2 and 6. During maternity leave I always felt supported and was never made to feel it was a bad thing: it was seen as positive and everyone congratulated me and were happy for me. Now I’m back, it definitely hasn’t hindered my opportunities with CEVA: it has been really good. And I am able to achieve a good balance between having young children and working.