I'm Michelle, the new @ThomasHartland , keeping his spot warm in the Bromford Lab whilst he is off on his travels around South East Asia. Tom's adventure may be more exotic, but I'm really excited to be here and experience whatever the next 12 months brings. It's nearing the end of my first week, so only fair to let you know a bit about me and what you can expect.
I've done something that some people have thought is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid - giving up a permanent full time job to come and work for Bromford. For anyone who knows me, however, they would've known that there was never any question over what I would do. To quote another (very famous) Michelle.....
I first encountered Paul and the Bromford Innovation Lab at a @CommsHero event 'Dare to Fail'. It was a rainy, miserable November day in Cardiff but I walked out at the end of it feeling as though something had clicked in my head. I've worked in housing for almost 10 years (I started when I was 21!) and it was so refreshing to hear Paul talk about how Bromford were taking risks and daring to fail to make positive contributions to both colleague and customer experiences throughout the organisation. From that point on, my mission was clear - to challenge existing ways of thinking and working to deliver exciting, but necessary, service innovations. Looking back to last November, the thought of working in the Lab would have been the stuff of dreams!
So, following a chance spot on the vacancy via Twitter, application and a nerve-wracking interview later, here I am! I'm really honoured to be sat here and to share my journey with you as I go through the next year. I've got tonnes of enthusiasm and am incredibly passionate about the housing sector, which I plan to bring to the table here at the Lab. I'm also a Gloucester girl, born and bred (although I'm currently in Weston-super-Mare, figure that one out!) so I'm hoping to be able to start working on some tests and pilots in this area, which will be a first for the Lab, as most things have centred around the Midlands.
We've got loads of interesting ideas and projects in the pipeline, so stay tuned - it's going to be a good one!