Driving growth with local business partners - Life as a KTP Associate

Last year I found myself thinking more about my career development. Up until this point I had been mainly involved in business and functional level strategy at large businesses - primarily in marketing and product management. I had limited experience of corporate level strategy.

However - having worked at two different companies on the integration of product portfolios during business acquisitions - I knew that corporate level strategy was something I wanted to be more involved with in the future. I also realised that - in order for me to achieve my longer-term career goals - I needed more experience of strategic decision making at a higher level and to develop my skills in this area.

COVID gave me the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy and focus on how I was going to develop in order to reach my career goals. I quickly discovered the exciting world of mKTPs and realised that this type of project would give me the corporate strategy learning I was looking for. Within a few months I was starting an exciting new role as Strategic Development Manager at Global Doors Ltd.

The journey so far

I bring skills, experience and ideas gained from over 17 years working at large manufacturing companies to Global Doors Ltd. However, I am only one of the partners on the mKTP project. The other partners are: Global Doors - a local SME with an entrepreneurial leader, experienced senior leadership team and committed workforce; and, the whole project is underpinned by a fantastic academic team at Leeds Beckett University who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, solving the business’s scaleup challenges.

At Global Doors the mKTP team are working hard to embed a portfolio approach to the strategic decision-making process, with the aim of driving sustainable growth. So far, I have worked on formalising vision, mission and values, embedding strategic development tools, developing a bespoke model for cultural change and implementing project management tools.

I have learnt about corporate strategy, am currently learning a lot about digital transformation, and also recently completed the Level 5 Award, in Leadership and Management from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

What's next?

Who knows what my next role will be? But for now, I am contributing to the growth of a local SME and building on my 17 years’ experience in an exciting role, with a brilliant team of people.