Jack Kidd

I moved to New Zealand on a 2-year working holiday visa in December 2023 and am keen to make the most of my time here by fully immersing myself in new experiences and challenges. Thus far, I have lived in the Bay of Plenty where I worked in kiwifruit orchards in pruning and picking roles. Before moving to NZ, I predominantly worked within financial services, with over four years spent working in various customer-facing administration roles across several financial sectors.

Prior to working in finance, I spent four years working in retail which, coupled with my financial services experience, has provided me with a wide range of skill sets; demonstrating my adaptability as a worker and an eagerness to learn. I now hope to expand my key skills in a completely new working environment and acquire invaluable experience.

Pieters Horticulture

Pruner/Picker

(March 2024 – June 2024)

Responsible for

• Pruning of male and Female Kiwi plants. 
• Picking Kiwis during harvest season (March-June).

Scottish Building Society (SBS)

Mortgage Administrator

(September 2022 – December 2023)

Responsible for

• Keying new mortgage applications on to the SBS system.
• Sending out new mortgage offers, title deeds and general information to clients, solicitors and mortgage brokers. 
• Assessing completed mortgage offers ensuring we have all the necessary documents needed to release funds to clients.
• Collecting valuation fees from customers and instructing property valuations with surveyors. 
• Liaising with members of my team and other departments to ensure clients’ needs are met.

Aegon UK 

Platform Administrator

(April 2022 – September 2022)

Responsible for

• Providing telephony assistance to customers and financial advisers using Aegon’s online pension and investment platform.
• Explaining retirement/investment options to clients and advisers, and helping people access their money online.
• Working with other departments to find the best solution to more challenging customer queries.

Royal London

Customer Service Consultant (insurance dept.)

(May 2020 – April 2022)

Responsible for

• Providing over the phone assistance to clients and financial advisers about insurance policies held with Royal London.
• Make changes to policies on the back of phone calls where necessary (eg setting up arrears payment plans, changing bank details and payment dates). 
• Correcting technical errors that had occurred on policies through analysing daily and weekly ‘control reports’. 
• Training new colleagues in our ‘billings’ process.

Sainsbury’s Local

Customer Trading Manager (supervisor)

(August 2019 – May 2020)

Responsible for

• Coaching a team of colleagues to provide the best possible customer service and ensuring the proper running of the store.
• Carrying out day-to-day tasks such as stacking shelves, shift scheduling, attending to colleague and customer queries/complaints, and spotting opportunities to grow store sales.
• Recruiting and training new store colleagues.

Other Retail Positions

• Sainsbury’s Local, Retail Assistant (May 2017 – August 2019)
• B&M Bargains, Shop Floor Assistant (May 2014 – September 2015)

Key responsibilities included:

• Providing excellent customer service, ensuring all customers have a positive experience.
• Working on the shop floor and stockroom, ensuring all stock is organised. 
• Handling cash and customer transactions. 

The University of Aberdeen

(September 2015 – April 2019)

 

History, 2:1 degree attained.

Honours courses in The Scottish Wars of Independence 1286-1328 (specialist course); The Making of Modern Ireland c.1600-2000; Thinking History; Vikings; Terror and Violence in the 19th Century and International Security (Politics & IR Course).

 

Beeslack Community High School 

(August 2009 – June 2015)

Advanced Higher B in History.

Higher A’s in History & Modern Studies, Higher B’s in Product Design, German and Graphic communication, Higher C in English