Rachael graduated with a Business Studies degree (2:1) at the Business School at Sheffield Hallam University in 1996.
Having already completed a year in accounting in the retail sector, Rachael was drawn to the more dynamic and outgoing environment of sales. Having joined one of the world’s top Pharmaceutical Companies, Rachael started her career in the traditional manner as a Sales Representative and achieved sales success as recognised by attaining a place in the Sales Academy, a company scheme to recognise the top 10% of the national sales force. Over the same period, Rachael quickly progressed to a Field Trainer. This involved field coaching and involvement with head office training. It was in the training and development role that Rachael found her real business passion.
This helped launch Rachael to the position of Training Manager which entailed practical application of coaching skills and the design and delivery of back to back brand and skills training packages. Rachael was always keen to ensure packages were updated to create new and interactive ways of learning on her courses in a motivational way. This of course entailed project management skills to manage the constant workloads within an ever changing environment. As this role also entailed presenting to entire national sales teams at conferences, Rachael received professional training and coaching to ensure her public speaking and presenting skills were further enhanced.
Following three years within this role, Rachael chose to expand her business experience into marketing and joined one of the major brand teams as a Brand Manager to cover a secondment. Following this opportunity Rachael then decided to embark upon further training within the marketing field and became the first individual within the company to successfully complete the marketing associate training programme. This enabled Rachael to work with a variety of brands and gain practical experience working with strategic and operational brand plans through to the implementation with the sales teams. Rachael also enjoyed the market research elements and the designing of new campaigns to support these plans.
Rachael finally found herself working within the training division within marketing and initiated the first Succession Development Centre aimed to talent manage those currently in the brand manager role. Rachael also enjoyed introducing a coaching skills programme within marketing for those brand managers looking to progress towards a first line sales manager role.
On completion of her time in marketing, Rachael accepted the post of a first line sales manager and over the three years of carrying out the role, managed three different teams, 6 months of which entailed managing two teams simultaneously. Rachael was recognised by the Regional Business Managers Awards; a programme run across the entire Pharmaceutical industry and was invited as one of ten finalists in the category of Young Business Manager. As her time as a sales manager, Rachael particularly loved coaching her team and the constant endeavour to maintain team motivation and to strive to achieve peak performance across all selling parameters. With her experience and passion in training and coaching, Rachael became heavily involved with many regional training initiatives, which involved more project management and delivery, in addition to her sales manager role. In her endeavour to make a positive difference, this drove Rachael to propose and implement the First Line Sales Manager Development centre which was aimed to create a structured pathway for future managers and leaders to progress and develop. This was the first of its kind within the company in the UK. This proved successful and was adopted as a national programme across different parts of the organisation.
Training and coaching has been an integral part to Rachael in her eleven years in business. It is the passion and the wanting to make a difference to others, which inspired Rachael to become an independent sales trainer and coach. The move was a natural progression. Rachael brings her years of practical experience, the training she has personally received over the years as well as her positive and empowering attitude.
Outside of the business environment, Rachael also likes to challenge herself and make a difference to everyone she meets. In more recent years, Rachael has explored holistic therapies and different approaches to self - empowerment. This started in 2003 when Rachael became qualified as an advanced Reiki healer (a form of energy healing) and introduced this into her work place, where she was working in a head office position at the time. The interest grew and due to demand, this resulted in healing clinics being operated for charity three times a week.
As a regular student at a college near London, Rachael has explored many alternative forms of self-development. Since 2005 Rachael has explored the use of meditative practices and self-hypnotherapy to create self-empowerment and anchoring techniques for herself and now uses her learnings to create a positive approach to all that she does. Rachael has been encouraged by the college tutors to embark upon the initial qualification programme which will commence in 2008. Rachael aims to further extend this by embarking upon her teacher training course in 2008/2009 and hopes to qualify by 2014, which will allow her to become a recognised tutor and trainer in the college.
Rachael also runs local workshops for small groups, which focuses upon self-development. These have helped individuals, to build their own confidence, discover their own self-worth and have encouraged them to be assertive in the holistic work they carry out. Rachael also has regular clients who are seen on a 1:1 basis who require further support.
Rachael carries out aspects of this work for charity, and aims to expand this in the future to ensure development of this nature is not exclusive just to those who can afford it, and also to help support those who suffer from bereavement and are in need of support. |
