This month marks five years since I joined TBL, and it feels like a good time to pause and reflect. Five years is a meaningful milestone in any career, and for me it represents a deliberate shift into work that aligns with my values, interests, and the impact I want to have.

Before TBL, I built a successful 10-year career in hospitality management that took me across the world. It gave me a strong foundation in leadership, service, operations, and people management. Over time though, I knew I wanted my next chapter to be more purpose-led. I wanted work that helped organisations do the right thing, not only commercially, but socially and environmentally too. That decision ultimately brought me to Lancaster University, and into sustainability.

While I was studying, I met Colin and learned more about what TBL stood for and the services the company was building. The more I understood, the more it felt like a natural fit. I stayed in touch, shared my interest in moving into sustainability consultancy, and asked for the opportunity to be considered when a role became available. When that opportunity came, Colin offered me an interview, and I became one of TBL’s first employees as a carbon analyst.

Shaping how the job gets done

Those early days were a mix of pace and possibility. In a small business, you learn that you are not only doing the job in front of you, but you are also shaping how the job gets done. I spent time deep in emissions data and methodology, but I also learned the realities of delivery, customer expectations, and how strong processes and clear communication underpin good outcomes. I made mistakes, learnt fast, and built confidence through experience.

As the company grew, I moved into the Technical Delivery Manager role. That shift brought more responsibility for delivery standards, supporting others, and helping ensure our outputs were accurate, consistent, and customer ready. I enjoyed that stage. I like building structure where it helps, setting clear expectations, and making it easier for teams to deliver excellent work. It also gave me a front-row view of what happens as a consultancy scales, and where things can wobble if you do not get the basics right.

Discovering the people side

Then came maternity leave, which naturally reshaped priorities and perspective. When I returned, my career direction began to evolve. I still cared about the technical work, but I found myself increasingly drawn to the people side of the business. How do we recruit well, develop capability, create fair pay structures, and enable great performance without losing what makes our culture strong? How do we support people through life stages, while building a business that can grow sustainably?

Fast forward to today, and I am Head of People and Business Operations. It is not the role I expected to be in when I joined as a Carbon Analyst, but it is the role that feels right. I now focus on looking after the team from a people perspective: recruitment and onboarding, performance and probation reviews, policy and handbook updates, learning and development planning, and pay and progression frameworks. I also support the operational and financial side of the business, including budgeting, planning, improving our processes, and all the behind-the-scenes things that make a small company feel stable and professional, and run well as we scale.

A meaningful mission

People sometimes ask why I have stayed at TBL for five years, especially in a world where job-hopping is normal. The answer is straight forward – I always wanted to work in sustainability, and that hasn’t changed. TBL’s mission is still meaningful to me, and the work still feels practical and important.

The working model also matters. Flexible, remote working and a four-day working week are not just nice benefits. They make a real difference, especially as a woman and as a parent. They reflect trust and modern thinking about performance and contribution.

Most importantly, TBL is small, close-knit, and genuinely supportive. We have loyal customers and team members, and that says a lot about how we work and how we treat people. As with any long-term role, there have been ups and downs, intense periods, difficult decisions, and moments where we have had to learn quickly and adapt. But even in the tougher bits, I have felt proud of the direction we are moving in and the values we try to live by.

I have also come a long way since my graduate days. I have grown in confidence, capability, and perspective. I have learned how to balance people needs with business needs, how to make decisions with limited information, and how to build systems that support fairness, clarity, and accountability.

Five years in, I feel grateful for the opportunity and proud to be part of TBL’s journey. I am excited for what the next five years will bring as we grow, strengthen our foundations, and continue building a business that proves sustainability and commercial success can go hand in hand.

Here’s to the next chapter.