Over the next few weeks, three of our brilliant colleagues, Hayley, Aaron, and Kate, celebrate their respective two-year milestones at Thirty4/7 Communications. We asked each team member to discuss their first two years at Thirty4/7, including highlights of the role and their thoughts on what might be in store in the future at T47.
Hayley
How long have you been working at T47, and what did you do before you started?
I joined the company at the beginning of April 2022 so have just reached my 2-year anniversary! Before this I was a Programme Manager in the Security Risk Management sector of a large logistics company, where I worked for 30 years.
What has been your proudest achievement in the company to date?
I think that would be playing an instrumental part in reviewing one of our most complex processes. Working with an external consultant, I put forward a proposal for a more streamlined process to improve efficiency. This proposal was endorsed, and I proceeded to pull together a training plan from scratch for colleagues to use as an internal resource in readiness for the go-live date, which was achieved.
How has your role changed during your time at the company?
My role has changed immensely. I started as an Admin Assistant when the company was still very small, but as it grew, so did the workload and requirements. I had to implement new processes, and took on more and more responsibilities which spanned across many areas of the business including HR and Finance. As a result, my role was revised to Operations Manager.
What is one lesson you would impart to younger staff members?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Learn as much as you can from your peers and leaders and strive to develop your knowledge and skillset.
What is your favourite lunch option at Newport Market?
That would be the lamb kofta. It’s impossible not to get in a mess eating it but it’s delicious.
What has been your favourite place to visit so far?
Without a doubt, it was our trip to Abergavenny to celebrate the company’s 5-year anniversary, especially visiting our charity partner Stump Up For Trees and helping in their planting nursery. It was a great day.
Kate
How long have you been working at T47, and what did you do before you started?
I joined Thirty4/7 in mid-May 2022. I’d previously been on maternity leave and decided that I was ready to go back to work and take on a new challenge. I’d previously worked on large infrastructure projects in London and the South-East.
What has been your proudest achievement in the company to date?
It’s hard to choose one thing. A lot of what we do is in the background, and it can sometimes be hard to quantify so I really enjoy producing consultation materials and seeing them in print.
How has your role changed during your time at the company?
I joined the company as a Senior Account Manager and I’m now an Account Director. I’m a lot more involved in Business Development and helping to shape the company as we continue to grow.
What is one lesson you would impart to younger staff members?
I think it’s important to remember that everyone makes mistakes and as long as you recognise your mistakes you can learn from these and grow.
What is your favourite lunch option at Newport Market?
I live on the other side of the country, so I haven’t really been able to make the most of the food at Newport Market. But I listen with envy when the rest of the team talk about their lunchtime trips.
On my one and only trip to Newport (so far) I did manage to buy two cheesecake jars, which may or may not have made it all the way home!
What has been your favourite place to visit so far?
I really enjoyed our team trip to Abergavenny as part of T47’s 5-year celebrations. Not only was it great to catch up with all of the team, but I really enjoyed helping out at the ‘Stump up for Trees’ nursery and getting stuck in.
I’d really like to work on a project which will take me somewhere on the coast – just putting that out there!
Aaron
How long have you been working at T47, and what did you do before you started?
I started with Thirty4/7 in mid-April 2022 – my first ‘proper’ job since leaving university. Previously I had worked in retail, as a student ambassador, and as an intern in the House of Commons.
What has been your proudest achievement in the company to date?
I worked closely with one of our clients to deliver a Community Benefit workshop in south Wales which focused on the social value deliverables available to local communities. The mood was really positive, and the workshop illustrated the causal relationship between renewable energy infrastructure and community investment. Either that, or the many weeks spent laboriously drafting a Pre-Application Consultation report for a now validated DNS planning application!
How has your role changed during your time at the company?
I started at T47 as an Account Executive and am now a Junior Account Manager; this has brought additional responsibilities around line management, finance and invoicing, and project management. I have also taken on responsibility for our marketing output, especially our blog schedule.
What is one lesson you would impart to younger staff members?
Don’t be afraid to find, and use, your voice – every opinion is worth hearing!
How has the planning/political landscape changed during your time?
Since I started at T47, the political landscape has changed significantly. We have had three UK prime ministers, two monarchs, two first ministers of Wales and Scotland respectively, Welsh local elections, and two (nearing three) sets of English local elections. And if that weren’t enough, we are months away from a general election which might lead to a change of government for the first time since 2010.
The election will take place with both major parties having swapped positions on planning and development. Previously, under Boris Johnson’s government, the Conservatives placed growth at the heart of their economic agenda, pledging to ‘Level Up’ the nations and regions with investment and infrastructure. Johnson himself also championed the need to ‘build better and build greener but…also build faster’. In response, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party then warned voters that ‘The Conservatives’ developers’ charter would sell off and sell out our communities.’, in an appeal to those concerned at the prospect of overdevelopment.
Come 2024, and the position of both parties has reversed. Rishi Sunak has sounded a more cautious note around development, notably ditching national housing targets and watering down net zero legislation. Keir Starmer, on the other hand, has placed economic growth at the heart of his programme for government, with commitments on undertaking planning reform, achieving 100% clean power by 2030, and delivering 1.5 million new homes across the next Parliament. Starmer even recently acknowledged that Johnson’s policy had ‘struck a chord’ with voters, conceding that ‘Levelling-up is a good ambition for Britain’ and committing to delivering the policy in its totality.
Politics, after all, is driven by competing coalitions of voters and certain fluidity is to be expected, though with Labour anticipated to form the next government, perhaps there is growing evidence that voters wish to see growth and development at the forefront of the policy debate.
What is your favourite lunch option at Newport Market?
It’s got to be Bab Haus Mex – their loaded nacho fries and burritos are incredible!
What has been your favourite place to visit so far?
Our trip to Abergavenny was very special, but the job has taken me to so many different places! A specific highlight was driving through the beautiful valleys of Denbighshire.