Operations Manager at Lordstone Financial Planning Ltd appointed representatives of St. James's Place (2025-03 – Present)
Within Lordstone, I specialised in strategic case management, operational oversight, and team development, all aimed at delivering exceptional client service and supporting business growth. The practice ranked within the top 3% of advisers in the North West for new business generation (in SJP);
- Overseeing the workflow of paraplanning and ongoing advice documentation, including outsourced work, coordinating team workloads and proactively tracking case progress to ensure efficient onboarding and delivery of ongoing client advice.
- Managed multiple strategic and operational projects, including a re-engagement campaign for dormant clients and supported in completing a business acquisitions & second in process, ensuring seamless integration of clients and processes.
- Led the review and re-design of all client-facing and internal processes, completing full end-to-end process mapping of the client journey and onboarding cycle in line with Lean Six Sigma principles.
- Supported MD in strategic decision-making by providing data-driven insights and operational reporting, improving visibility across HR, compliance, finance, and marketing.
- Created and implemented a 3-to-5-year business plan for the practice, analysing advisor conversion rates, client acquisition, and staffing requirements; set individual performance targets and conducted regular one-to-one development reviews.
- Delivered significant efficiency gains by identifying bottlenecks, reducing case turnaround times, and implementing standardised templates and reusable content for reports and client communications.
- Designed and introduced training materials, onboarding guides and process manuals for new staff, improving accuracy and speed of integration while ensuring consistent client service.
- Led marketing and business-development initiatives focused on referrals, brand development, and client experience enhancement.
- Fostered a solutions-focused culture, encouraging accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement across the practice.
Paraplanner & Client Relationship Manager at Lordstone Financial Planning Ltd appointed representatives of St. James's Place (2023-06 – 2025-03)
- Strategically managed paraplanning functions, including workload allocation, staff training, and quality assurance.
- Lead KPI tracking and present insights during weekly management meetings to drive informed decision-making.
- Oversaw the client journey from initial data collection and suitability letter preparation, to final report delivery and feedback.
- Mentor and train new team members, ensuring adherence to quality standards and fostering continuous improvement.
- Collaborate on projects aimed at enhancing operational processes and client service delivery.
- Prioritise client cases to align with business objectives, advisor availability, and optimal resource utilisation.
Business Support Coordinator at Protective Packaging (2022-10 – 2023-06)
As a Business Support Coordinator, I played a critical role in supporting sales and operational teams by analyzing performance data, managing key accounts, and improving business processes. My focus was on enhancing customer satisfaction, securing long-term contracts, and driving operational efficiency.
- Conducted in-depth analysis of sales figures, identified trends, and implemented data-driven solutions to enhance performance.
- Collaborated with IT to improve reporting systems, ensuring more accurate and efficient data collection.
- Managed new and existing accounts, secured long-term deals, negotiating on pricing and ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Cultivated and maintained strong client relationships, ensuring alignment of products with business needs and ensuring pricing remains competitive.
- Liaised with operations to synchronise stock schedules with production capabilities, ensuring timely delivery.
- Managed new enquiries, strategically delegated leads, and directly handled complex client requests.
- Worked with QC/QA and manufacturing teams to ensure compliance with customer specifications.
- Collaborating with other departments on strategic decisions, and cross-fertilizing business, based on applications.
Management Trainee at Protective Packaging (2022-06 – 2022-10)
At PPL, I followed a dedicated training plan in which I essentially trained to manage several departments within the company, with the intention to become the Operations Manager (allowing the previous to step into acting as a Director) which included;
- Trained to manage various teams and improve upon current capabilities, KPIs figures and knowledge of the teams; the Customer Support, Purchasing and Logistics teams. Also working alongside Marketing, Manufacturing and QC/QA for various long-term projects.
- Working alongside US team to discuss sales opportunities, business processes and training improvements lead from UK site.
- Supporting in launch of a new HR system and the digitalisation of the company; training of softwares and of the bespoke apps.
- Created training plans, manuals and guides within the customer support team for new starters and monitored their progress. Reducing costs for external training and increasing rate of development.
Front-End Shift Leader at Tesco (2019-10 – 2022-03)
Previously, I operated, trained and oversaw the Front-End services departments including Checkouts, Customer Service areas, Petrol Filling Station and Car Park operations. My largest department being checkouts where I monitored staff performance, provided guidance and identified both customer and colleague needs. Here in which I;
- Established and enforced department and legal procedures and goals to optimize team performance and productivity.
- Maintained and built relationships with staff across the store, ensuring two-way communication and trust.
- Altered and created schedule plans to suit business needs, budgets and customer shopping patterns.
- Covered duty shifts and provided support.
