What made you choose Arbtech?
Without tiptoeing around it, being PA to Rob is quite literally the role I’ve dreamed of from the moment I began my PA career.
The ultimate goal was to find that one person I would be solely dedicated to and take care of in a personal and business capacity, and of course someone I both admired, respected, and genuinely got on with.
I was an executive assistant in London for just over 10 years, predominantly within the private equity industry, looking after multiple professionals at one time. My years in London provided a great breadth of career and overall life experience to form the stepping stones in guiding my future path. I did, however, hit that classic ’10-year London wall’ and needed a change of scene in more ways than one, and as such, I upped sticks in the Autumn of 2019, waved goodbye to the ‘big smoke’, moved back to North Wales where I’d grown up and set up my own private PA business.
There was a brief interlude fulfilling a long-held ambition of working as a chalet host at a luxury lodge in Val D’isere – an unbelievably tough but rewarding experience in equal measure!
On return from the Alps, I took on my first clients as a self-employed private PA who happened to be a local couple in North Wales within the hospitality industry. I stayed with them for a further three years and within that time I created, set up, and acted as operations director for a joint venture (an online food retail business that blossomed from the pandemic) before handing the reins back to them and going back to my PA roots and in search of that dream PA role…and here I am!
What do you love most about the company?
The culture, which I feel goes hand in hand with Rob’s inspirational style of leadership. The dedication, awareness, and genuine care he gives to nurturing the culture within the company is nothing short of remarkable. He is available 24/7 for every single employee as a fountain of wise words, guidance, and advice, and he sets the most phenomenal example when it comes to achieving a good work-life balance.
Rob has instilled and curated a culture with a great focus on the importance of staff wellness (both physically and mentally) and is forever striving to keep improving and evolving the way we work, interact, and simply live our lives to ensure that we are the best versions of ourselves inside and outside of work.
What do you do when you are not at Arbtech?
Well, I have a little shadow in the form of a black Labrador called Monty, who is my everything. So, come rain or shine, we walk and train every day in the hills where I live in North Wales and beyond. It’s a far cry from my years in London and a lifestyle I adore.
I practice Pilates every single day of the week – something I’ve really fallen in love with over the past year, as well as yoga.
I’m also a big foodie and absolutely love to cook and host, so a perfect weekend for me would be a day of dog walking and then hosting an evening dinner party with family and/or friends.
What is your biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
- Taking care of yourself, both physically and mentally, e.g. eating well, sleeping enough and finding a form of physical exercise that you enjoy and can incorporate into your daily routine.
- Without your wellness, you are useless to yourself and anyone else.
- Put yourself first and remember that being selfish is sometimes the best and only choice you have for your own sake and, again, for the sake of anyone else who might be relying on you.
- A lot of things in life are out of our control but there are so many things we can control that ultimately impact our happiness and, in turn, our overall well-being.
- Take time out of every day to be alone and with your own thoughts.
- Make lists of what makes you happy and what isn’t making you happy or fulfilling you.
- Listen to your gut and remember that, sometimes, the scariest situations or scenarios – those big leaps that take you out of your ‘comfort zone’ – more often than not are worth taking.
- Even if things don’t work out the way you’d envisaged, there will always be a lesson to learn, a story to tell, and clarity on what might be the right path to follow; regrets are futile.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
Not a standard ‘social’ per se, but what stands out most in my mind from time spent with my fellow ‘Arbtechers’ and a hell of a lot of socialising involved was ArbCon24.
As the main organiser and project manager for the three-day event, the fact it was the first-ever conference the company had held and the first time I’d ever been tasked with bringing anything of the sort together, it was without a doubt one of the most fantastic and memorable few days, and one of the proudest achievements in my career.
Just having solid and extended time to be with everyone, mix with those we might not often (or ever) speak to and – especially given we largely only ever converse with each other virtually – hang out, party and get to know everyone, all within an amazing space, it was pretty special.
I’m just hopeful – given I’m organising ArbCon25 – that we can pull it off again, and it will prove to be the biggest highlight in everyone’s calendar.
We’re such an eclectic team, albeit in an awesome way, from different backgrounds, with different life and career experiences, and a range of ages and lifestyle choices, so it’s great to have three full days to mix work and learning with ‘play’.
The reality is not everyone can attend the various socials that might be organised throughout the year, be it because of the location of where it might be taking place or due to personal commitments, so having ArbCon as a firm fixture in all our diaries each year is a real bonus.
No one does ‘socials’ like Arbtech at the end of the day. We’re a pretty lucky bunch!
Where do you want to travel to next?
My gosh – the list is endless! South America, India and Canada are right up there, but I’m also dying to hit the ski slopes this year as I’ve not skied since my chalet hosting season in 2019.
I’d also love to go back to Bali where I went after leaving London and just fell in love with its laid-back vibes. All that being said, now I have Monty, I’m keen to make the most of exploring more of the UK with him. There are so many stunning places on our doorstep that don’t involve getting on a plane, so it’s another bonus of owning a dog!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
Workwise, without a shadow of a doubt, I hope I’m still with Arbtech as Rob’s PA, though I’m only too aware that my role may well have evolved from what it is right now.
That being said, I have a totally different attitude to ‘the future’ these days. From someone who always wants to have a plan, making sure I have things booked in the diary well ahead, I try to make a more conscious effort to live in the now, appreciate what’s happening around me at this moment in time, and have faith that I’ll know as and when I might need to adjust my sails and move in a different direction.
None of us knows what is around the corner, what might happen today or tomorrow, and what curve balls may come our way, so I am a big advocate of making sure you check in with yourself as often as possible to make sure you’re feeling and living a life that’s making you fulfilled and that you’re not doing/living for anyone but you.
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
On a basic level, good health (my own and my loved ones) together with general happiness and fulfilment. Finding contentment in the now is a feeling I am unbelievably happy and proud to say I have found.
It’s so important to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, experience different things, even if it’s to say: ‘I tried it, but it wasn’t for me’, and travel and live in different places (alone). I have great faith in life unfolding and presenting new opportunities and paths as and when the time might be right. It comes down to facing fears, taking risks, keeping an open mind alongside you sitting back and looking at what you have now, what is and isn’t making you happy, what you can’t control, as well as what you can control and change that may lead to a greater sense of fulfilment.
I do have a prominent goal and focus for this year, which is Monty’s gundog training. He’s from prime gundog pedigree, and even before going on his first proper shoot this year (he’s not yet two), he’d caught three live pheasants on our morning walks, which says it all. Although I don’t ‘shoot’ myself, I know the experience as a ‘picker-upper’ both for the dog and the handler is something I want to incorporate into our lives. It’s an amazing exercise for the dogs, it’s great training for them in so many respects, and it’s a fab social experience for the handlers. Thankfully, one of my closest and dearest friends is a dog trainer and has her own gundog, so I have got the perfect accomplice.
Watch this space!
Hannah joined Arbtech in April 2022.
