If you had told me a few years ago that studying Architecture and working in construction planning would eventually shape the way I support a social-impact organisation, I might not have immediately seen the connection.
Now, I do.
I began my career in construction planning, coordinating complex programmes, people, information, deadlines and competing priorities across major projects. Alongside this, I worked part-time as an Operations Manager at POJ Essex, gaining hands-on experience across recruitment, governance, safeguarding, finance, events, volunteers and digital systems.
Construction taught me to create structure, manage dependencies and anticipate what needs to happen next. Operations taught me that those same skills can create the conditions for people and organisations to succeed.
When I joined Sounddelivery Media (SDM) ten months ago, those two worlds came together.
I joined an organisation helping people with lived experience of social injustice find their voice, tell their stories, engage with the media and influence change. What I hadn’t anticipated was just how varied my role would become.
From executive support, governance and recruitment to programme delivery, safeguarding, events, policy development and learning about data security, no two months have looked quite the same. But there has been one consistent thread: creating structure, connecting people, anticipating what needs to happen next and helping the organisation keep moving forward.
From understanding to making things happen
My first few months were about understanding SDM, its programmes, people, governance and how everything connected. I attended my first Board meeting, supported programme administration and the graduation of the 2025 Spokesperson Network, now the Spokesperson Leadership Programme (SLP).
As SDM entered a period of change, including a leadership transition, I increasingly focused on keeping important processes moving and making sure details did not get lost while the organisation remained focused on its wider priorities.
One experience that particularly influenced me was seeing ten members of the alumni recognised among The Big Issue’s 100 Change Makers. It made the responsibility of recruiting the next cohort feel very real.
Recruitment wasn’t simply about applications and interviews. It was about recognising potential, lived experience and perspectives that could develop into something much bigger.
That thinking shaped my approach to recruiting the 2026 SLP cohort, including coordinating 33 interviews from shortlisting through to onboarding. I have also supported recruitment for our Programme Manager, trustees and summer intern, including their onboarding and supervision.
These experiences reinforced something important for me: good operations is ultimately about enabling people to succeed.
Building capacity and finding solutions
Governance has become another significant part of my work, from Board papers and minutes to trustee registrations, DBS checks, policy reviews, a trustee skills audit and coordinating our Board Strategy Away Day.
I’ve also supported the Annual Report, budgets, Board communications, SLP travel and accommodation, and the systems that help trustees and staff stay connected.
I’ve looked for practical ways to make our work more sustainable too. For our Learning Lunches, I found a no-cost webinar solution that saved SDM approximately £3,000, while allowing us to continue offering accessible learning opportunities.
For me, this is what operations is about: not simply keeping things organised, but asking whether there is a better, more sustainable way of achieving the same outcome.
The work people don’t always see
A lot of operational work happens behind the scenes.
When travel is booked, people can focus on the programme. When Board papers are prepared, trustees can focus on decision-making. When recruitment is organised, the organisation can focus on finding the right people. When systems are working, people can get on with their work.
These tasks may not always be visible, but they remove barriers.
That is where I see much of my contribution at SDM.
Looking ahead
Ten months in, I’m increasingly convinced that operations is about far more than keeping things organised.
It is about creating the conditions for other people to do their best work.
My professional journey may have taken me from architecture and construction planning to programmes, Board meetings and media training, but the principle running through it has remained consistent: understand the bigger picture, connect the moving parts and create the structure that allows people to move forward.
I don’t know exactly where that journey will take me next, and I’m increasingly comfortable with that.
What I do know is that I enjoy making things work.
There is a lot at Sounddelivery Media that happens behind the scenes. And perhaps that is exactly where I am at my best.
When the work behind the scenes is done well, other people have the space to find their voice, tell their stories and create change.
After ten months at SDM, I am proud to be part of making that possible.