International Women’s Day is a world-wide celebration of the achievements of women across the globe. To mark the occasion, let us introduce you to two individuals who keep things up and running at the headquarters of Belfast based back-up power specialist, Continu.
Company Director Alison McFadden co-founded Continu in 2008. Prior to that she worked in London with a national training provider, before relocating to South Africa where she set up a consultancy practice working with global companies in business development, sales, training and quality management systems.
Amongst her many roles, Alison champions a quality management programme, oversees training and development and looks after the sales and marketing function. She has this advice for anyone, male or female, who is thinking of launching their own business:
“If you are comfortable working in an environment where no two days are the same, with a high degree of responsibility, then being a business leader is for you.
“Running your own company is challenging however the rewards, not limited to financial for me, outweigh the challenges. The key to spotting an opportunity is scalability - you might have great ideas and be technically good at what you do, but for a business to succeed, you need to be able to grow. In my experience, that is the difference between being self-employed and developing a business.”
Sales Accounts Manager Helen Brogan has been a central member of the Continu team since 2014. The friendly voice and face of Continu, she’s usually the first point of contact when back-up power clients get in touch.
Having formerly worked in the retail sector, Helen has put her skills to good use, applying her passion for customer service to carve out a new career she loves:
“My favourite part of my role with Continu is being part of a successful team, providing our customers with the right solution for their needs. We all work well individually but I love the fact that everyone is here for each other in the office and we all help one another out when needs be.”
Making a career change can be daunting but if you’re thinking of taking the leap, Helen has some words of encouragement:
“You don’t have to be technically minded to work in industries like IT or engineering. There are lots of fulfilling roles available – so don’t be put off. If you have great communication skills, a desire to help deliver great customer service and a willingness to learn, seek out the opportunities. If you’re anything like me, you won’t regret it!”
