I was never someone who knew exactly what they wanted to do when they grew up. Like everyone, I had wild and unrealistic dreams but at some point I knew I needed to commit. In true 'me' style, I wasn't going to take the easy road so joining the Army while I worked it out seemed like a good idea! Who'd have thought instead of needing to look for the perfect career the perfect career not only found me, but also made me.I owe a lot of my personal qualities to my service time as well as my professional skills and I am proud to have given 10 years to my country. I have always been a dedicated, confident and resilient person, probably why I slotted into the Army so well but what I didn't expect to learn, was how to make difficult and time sensitive decisions quickly and effectively, let alone how to be a leader capable of inspiring people around me to be not only the best versions of themselves, but also to join me in achieving some pretty unbelievable goals. Earning peoples trust and respect is massively important to me, proving that I am a capable leader, composed and focused, calm in a crisis and willing to be accountable regardless of the outcome of a decision I have made.I love being able to combine innovation with data and analytics to support decision making, however, taking calculated risks to make gains whilst safeguarding the core product I am managing has proven to pay off. In my current role I am responsible for leading on the operational delivery and strategic growth of cashless technology for the Poppy Appeal.In 3 years I have increased cashless donations from £3.2 million to £11.5 million for the same financial investment. To secure such successful growth I have proven to be a good communicator able to engage stakeholders of all levels and within cross functional teams. I have been able to understand the problem that requires solving and analyse data successfully to back up anecdotal or suspected outcomes. I am able to move at pace, yet I also appreciate where things need time dedicated to them. I am not afraid to commit, nor in speaking up if I think something is not ready to be deployed. For me, a successful outcome is always the end game, but that doesn't mean the journey getting there can't be part of the fun.