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Annie definitely has her hands full managing a full-time job
co-handling 15 acquisitions a year at PHS Group, taking care
of her four children all under the age of 13 and setting up
her own business.
And if that wasn’t enough, the 36-year-old is a non-executive
for Careers Wales, a mentor for Barnardos and a school governor.
She also has two degrees, an MBA and is a qualified teacher
and a chartered marketer, having spent over ten years studying
in evening classes.
It’s not surprising that Annie was recognised twice
at the Welsh Woman of the Year Awards, as a finalist for ‘Management
Achiever’ and winning ‘Most Effective Returner’.
She considers herself a naturally people-orientated leader
and thinks her drive and enthusiasm keep her going: “I
left school at 16 with no qualifications, but I had so many
things I wanted to do that I decided to go back to learning
while I was on maternity leave with my first child.
“I think there is a natural order of things and people
fall into the roles they are comfortable in. I’ve always
been an organiser and a leader in my mind, even when I wasn’t
officially in a position in my career to lead others.”
At PHS, Annie’s superb organisational skills have resulted
in an innovative new system to improve customer retention
levels. By developing new ways of monitoring and stemming
the flow of potential business cancellations, she has been
able to keep valuable business contracts - and develop new
ones.
She is also setting up her own business, Lifestyle Management
Services, helping individuals and corporate employees achieve
a better life/work balance by outsourcing everyday tasks.
She should be experienced enough for the job considering the
juggling act she performs everyday with her own different
roles!
But she counts her greatest business achievement as her award
nominations. “Being shortlisted for any award is flattering.
It’s a very proud moment because you know someone has
recognised the work you’re doing and taken time out
of their own busy lives to enter you.
“I’ve always been very passionate about what I
do and I think it can be infectious. I want to try and motivate
others because it’s important not to lose sight of the
people you are working with - without them you can’t
achieve your common goal. You can’t be a maverick leader,
so you need to make sure you’re working at a pace that
everyone can keep up with. Clarity and honesty are also important
traits to have.
Talking about her favourite business leader Richard Branson,
Annie said: “He’s an emotionally intelligent leader,
which I think is very important. He’s not afraid to
learn from others and has the courage to take risks when he
needs to. It’s a very effective leadership style that
I aspire to myself.”
Catrin Davies from Dolmans Solicitors nominated Annie. She
said: “Annie is extremely focused in everything that
she does and works hard to achieve her goals. What makes her
special is that she leads by example and actively supports
and encourages others. She gains great satisfaction seeing
her staff achieve their goals. She’s an inspiration
both professionally and personally.”
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