Tell us about your day job

I work for BT in their Group HQ. I lead BT’s Revenue Assurance program in their AMEA region (Asia-Pacific). I manage people in the UK, India and Kuala Lumpur.

It is quite a challenge to balance my facilities time along a role that encompasses various time zones covering half the globe!

I do love my day job and it provides great satisfaction when you find an issue and correct it.

How long have you been in Prospect and why was it important for you to join a trade union?

I've been in Prospect, Connect and all of its predecessors since I became a manager in the mid-1990s.

The union is a vehicle for change, and being in a trade union has, in some way, influenced everything positive that has happened in my career.

What’s your proudest moment so far as a Prospect member or rep?

Any time I help a member get an outcome they want when handling their case!

How has Prospect been of benefit to you in your career and professional development?

It has provided me with the means to meet with and challenge senior people in my organisation. It’s an opportunity I relish and one I may never have normally got. It has helped me improve my negotiating skills, and I take this back into my day job.

Why did you decide to stand for the NEC?

After a career spanning 29 years, all of them in a trade union, I felt the time was right to try and see if I could bring my skills to the NEC for the benefit of our members. I have been ‘learning my trade’ as a grass roots activist for too long now!

What are of some of the workplace issues that you hope to make a difference on as part of the NEC?

I am keen to bring my finance skills to the fore, to try and hold employers to account for their governance and decision-making, which, if they get it wrong, has a direct impact on our members’ jobs.

As a member of the NEC, how will you approach some of the difficult decisions that might pit the interests of close colleagues in your own sector against the greater good of the whole union?

There is always a bigger picture. For me, it is learning what the bigger picture is so that I can articulate that, and inform my members of why we make a certain decision, that may not always be the right one in their eyes at the time.

We need to know when to pick our fights for the best outcome for our members.

What’s your message to a colleague who is perhaps reluctant to join a union?

Don’t think about yourself in isolation. There is strength in numbers and don’t ever think that something untoward won’t never happen to you!

I have helped people with 40 years’ unblemished service who found themselves being suddenly targeted for various reasons.

What are the best and worst things about attending Prospect National Conference?

The best is always meeting fellow reps from across industry and not just your own business or sector, sharing ideas and being energised for the future. The worst? Being away from my young twin boys!

Tell us something about yourself that maybe even some of your colleagues wouldn’t know...

I was once arrested (in error) by the anti-terrorist police. Long story, and I will tell anyone about it over a pint at the bar!