Role: Business Strategy Manager
Company: Progressive Building Society
Track Record: An accountancy degree was the basis for Sarah McKegney’s current role as a business strategy manager.
HOW I BECAME A BUSINESS STRATEGY MANAGER
What was your favourite subject at school?
At school I really enjoyed Art & Design and Business Studies.
How did you get into your area of work?
I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do when I finished school but I decided to study accountancy at Queen’s as I knew I wanted to pursue a career in business – accountancy seemed like a solid foundation! When I finished university I joined PwC in Belfast where I qualified as a chartered accountant and worked within the Risk Assurance team. This turned out to be invaluable experience as it gave me wide exposure to so many different businesses and industries both in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK. I had been fortunate to work with Progressive during my time at PwC and it was an organisation I very much admired, so it was an easy decision to accept my current role when it was offered.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I have always enjoyed working with people and it is important to me to work for an ethical organisation that makes a positive contribution At Progressive, our business model is based on helping local people buy their own homes and providing a trusted place for local people to save.
As a mutual business, the Society ensures that all strategic and operational decisions are taken in the best interest of its Members. This means that there are no demands for shareholder dividends with a strong focus on re-investing in the local economy, in Progressive’s branches, in the development of new technology, staff training and new products to meet the needs of our Members and customer base. Profit is added to reserves in order to increase the financial strength of the Society and to provide additional security to our Members.
Are there any alternative routes into the job?
I don’t think there is any set route into this type of role so there are plenty of alternatives. Strategic planning requires you to be able to draw on multiple disciplines including finance and marketing. It requires an understanding of customers, markets and technologies to be able to develop new strategies that capitalise on growth opportunities that lie ahead.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
My role is focused on implementing and managing change and this is both the best and the most challenging aspect of what I do. Working across multi-disciplinary teams can be challenging due to team priorities and you have to learn to engage with a variety of different people and understand their disciplines whether it be in finance, IT, compliance or marketing. I am very fortunate that Progressive is a very collegial place to work and the ethos is very much about supporting each other and working as a team. It is a dynamic organisation with decisions made quickly.
At the moment we have a number of large projects which will be delivered over the next 12 months so it’s a very busy but very exciting time to be part of the organisation.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
I think to take on a strategic role you need to gain as much exposure to as many areas of business as you can so that you fully understand how all the individual people and processes fit into supporting and delivering the bigger picture.
That experience may even start with your first part-time student job – no experience should be undervalued. It is also important to look forward and be open to change to be able to reframe the solution if needed. Developing strategy begins with recognition of where the business is now and where it wants to go to. Essentially, it is about increasing competitive advantage which is always a challenge for any business – after all, your most important competitors are those that are most like you.
If you weren’t working as a business strategy manager, what would be your dream job?
Believe it or not, I would love to be a midwife. I think it would be hugely challenging but incredibly rewarding.
What is the one piece of advice you would have given to yourself on your first day?
No question is a stupid question! Also don’t be afraid to ask the people around you for help – after all, they are usually the experts.
Describe your ideal day off.
A cup of tea, a good book and some solitude is all I need to recharge!
And finally, what do you think is the key to any successful job search?
It is important to research as much as you can. While it can be frustrating if what you want to do doesn’t quite seem to exist yet, my advice is to take your time. When you apply for a role, ask lots of questions and try to speak to people who know the organisation from the inside.