Tell us a bit about yourself
My career background is very varied and I have worked in the hospitality sector as a Manager, large corporates as an International Director living in Singapore, public sector as a Non-Executive Director, self-employed as a personal consultant and currently in the not for profit sector. The role I have now involves working with a large number of volunteers and I would never have got the job without Toastmasters where all leadership roles are voluntary.
What has been your Toastmasters journey
It started 17 years ago with a friend taking me along to a meeting, to be honest I didn’t really know what I was going to. I decided to go again and this time I was asked to do a Table Topic and amazingly I won. Within a couple of months I was on the committee as VPPR, a role I knew nothing about but I soon picked it up and within a year I was President, followed by Area Director. I have also been President of Excalibur, an advanced club, where I am still a member. I take great pleasure in helping others develop and grow and to that end I have been a club mentor as well as mentoring many individuals. I have also helped hundreds of people with their evaluations, running workshops, having won the UK and Ireland (D71) Evaluation Championship several years ago.
What are you currently doing in D91
This year I took on the Division B Director role. It’s the largest Division in D91 with 28 clubs so it keeps us pretty busy. I love being part of the wider District Executive Team, as well as supporting my wonderful team of six*, who are working really hard to support their clubs, and together we really do want to make Division B a Division of Excellence. We love visiting clubs and seeing how each one has its own special vibe. There have been a few challenges, such as more than 20% of members not on Pathways which is such a shame as that is the education program that people pay for when they join. Having a structure speech by speech really does build confidence and develops verbal communication skills so we are currently running a project to get everyone onto Pathways now and in the future.
Delighted to say that there are members submitting completion of their Pathways projects helping their clubs to become Distinguished and the first three are London Athenians, London Cardinals and London Toastmasters.
We welcomed two newly chartered clubs The Good Growth Club and Product Madness and we are really excited to see how we can help them develop..
We also have to congratulate four clubs on their longevity. 104 London Debaters and London Victorians both celebrating 10 years. London Cardinals on 20 years and London Athenians on 30 years. What a great achievement.
Most of the Club contests are now complete so we are busy preparing for Area contests and the Division contest on the 23rd November. On the morning of 23rd, working with Division C, there will be a series of interactive workshops open to all members.
*The amazing Division B Team : B6 Casper Wilcock, B8 Sabeer Peerbaccus, B9 Mary-Anne Ledger, B18 Krystyna Zarzycka, B52 Urszula Pozimska and Simon Mckee Asst. Div Dir.
What do you most enjoy
There are evenings when I feel, ugh it’s raining outside, do I really want to go to a Toastmasters meeting? But I always do because without fail I come out buzzing whether I am participating or an audience member. I get inspired by other members; their journey’s, their stories and the fact they give it a go. Which is probably why I am still a member and still enjoying what Toastmasters has to offer.
What are your challenges
Personally I always think of a challenge as an opportunity and I like to be challenged. Sometimes it forces me to think a little differently. If anything, time is my challenge, with a full-time job, Toastmasters and a family life I do have to do a bit of juggling, but I enjoy it and I get a great sense of satisfaction when everything falls into place.
How has your experience in Toastmasters helped you in your day job
When I was interviewed for my current role in a charity it was like being in front of a firing squad but all that Table Topics practice came into its own. The fact I had been a volunteer amongst other volunteer leaders also helped. These days I enjoy standing up and speaking so I do get asked to do a lot of presentations on behalf of the company. I also work with clients giving them instant feedback as well as facilitating training sessions, all skills I honed at club and leadership meetings. Thank you Toastmasters!
