Portfolio career

Guest blog Barrie Hopson part 2

September 7, 2016 By // by Rachel Brushfield

Barrie Hopson

This is a 2 part guest blog by Barrie Hopson. This is Part 2.

Barrie is a psychologist specialising in career development and lifelong learning and is a serial entrepreneur. His life mission is helping people to become architects of their own future. His latest project is developing an online learning programme to help people design their retirement ‘Live Happier’ to help people design their retirement, launched and free to use in August 2016.

He is a Non Exec Director of the Aspire-Igen Group and of Disability Sport Yorkshire. He chairs the national Quality in Career Standard Consortium Board. He was Chairman of Axia Interactive Media 2007-2013. He is a writer, presenter, consultant and was chair of his local community association for 8 years. He is on the advisory board of The Open Retirement Club. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Royal Society of Arts. He has written 39 books – the latest being ‘And What Do You Do? 10 Steps to Creating a Portfolio Career’, written with Katie Ledger. He gives presentations on the future of work, portfolio careers, and how to ‘design a retirement you’ll love’. He established the Counselling and Career Development Unit at Leeds University in 1976 and went on to found Lifeskills International in 1983. The company formed a joint venture – Hay-Lifeskills Ltd. – with Hay Group International of which he was co-chair for its first 3 years. His books include the bestselling 12 Steps to Success through Service, The Lifeskills Teaching Programmes and Build Your Own Rainbow. In 2008 he wrote The Rainbow Years: the Pluses of Being 50+ and an accompanying website for Learndirect www.fiftyforward.co.uk. The latter were all co-authored with Mike Scally. Barrie has worked widely as a consultant to commercial and educational organisations in the UK, USA, Asia, Canada and Europe. He sees one of the payoffs of his Portfolio Career as being able to follow Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He adores running and runs 10k, 10 mile and half marathons for the Stroke Association as he is now a carer for his stroke survivor wife.

The rest of this blog are in Barrie’s own words.

Here is part 1 in case you missed it:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/guest-blog-barrie-hopson-part-1/

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

No-one. Just me, my intuition and ensuring I have people who I respect and love spending time with and who are the sources of my inspiration. I never work alone. I have written 39 books and 2 online learning programmes and not one of them just by myself. The fun of creation comes for me in bouncing ideas off others. I am massively influenced by the quotation, “I never know what I think about something until I have heard what I have to say.”

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

I still look for meetings relevant to what I do and make an intuitive decision about whether or not to attend. 90% of the time, my intuition does not let me down. You need a website – at least one, and a really good LinkedIn profile. Spending time with creative people is also beneficial.

What, if any, is the personal brand used for your portfolio career?

‘Helping people to become architects of their own future.’ I have only been using this for the past 10 years or so as I realised that a succinct brand message communicates a lot and of course is actually an invitation to people to ask further questions.

What skills/experience/qualities does someone need to have a portfolio career?

Well of course, Katie Ledger and I through our research came up with a whole list of these and you can answer them for yourselves for free on www.portfoliocareers.net

What advice would you give to someone considering a portfolio career?

At the risk of being cheeky, read our book, And What Do You Do? 10 Steps to Creating A Portfolio Career, A&C Black, 2009

What benefits do portfolio careers bring specifically to women and mothers, rather than to men?

A portfolio lifestyle, which, interestingly, seems to be attracting men now as well.

What are your top 5 tips to successfully manage a portfolio career?

1) Know exactly what are your ‘motivated skills’ and only look for opportunities to practice them.

2) Only pick assignments consistent with your values.

3) Learn to say ‘no’.

4) Ensure you develop a portfolio lifestyle not just a portfolio career – which means organising downtime, having fun, taking holidays and spending time with people you love and respect.

5) Continue to reinvent yourself. This is one of the real joys of a portfolio career. There should never be a full stop – just a hyphen!]

What next?

For more information about portfolio careers, click on this link:

http://portfoliocareers.net/

To find out more about ‘Live Happier’, click on this link:

https://livehappier.aviva.co.uk/

To find out more about Barrie’s book about portfolio careers, click on this link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Do-You-Creating-Portfolio/dp/1408116308

Want to create your own portfolio career? Click on this link:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/

Download your free report ‘Discover portfolio careers’:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Download your free report ‘Pain free career change’:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/testimonials/

Unsure what your transferable skills are, download your free report ‘Skills’ from this web page:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Read more guest bloggers accounts of their portfolio career:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/blog/

Guest blog Barrie Hopson part 1

August 16, 2016 By // by Rachel Brushfield

Barrie Hopson

This is a 2 part guest blog by Barrie Hopson. This is Part 1.

Barrie is a psychologist specialising in career development and lifelong learning and is a serial entrepreneur. His life mission is helping people to become architects of their own future. His latest project is writing and developing an online learning programme to help people design a retirement that they will love. Sponsored by Aviva and free to use. www.livehappier.co.uk

The rest of this blog are in Barrie’s own words.

What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.)

Psychologist, writer, presenter, NED of 2 companies, mentor, trustee of Disability Sports Yorkshire. I have just finished writing a free to use online learning programme to help people design a retirement that they love. I am currently helping to set up a social media business with the objective of eliminating childhood obesity.

How did your portfolio career come about?

I had never heard of the concept until Charles Handy ‘invented’ the term in 1993. In retrospect, I realise that from the point in my career when I got a lectureship at Leeds University in 1969, I have almost always had at least one other job or venture at the same time.

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

The biggest change was after I sold my business Lifeskills International in 1999. Since then I have really been able to indulge myself in a portfolio career. Accepting invitations to be NED in a number of companies, still continuing to write books, workbooks and online learning programmes and accepting invitations to present all over the world. I have always enjoyed helping others to develop their careers and achieve their dreams. I now have much more time to do that and I love it. I was influenced by Charles in a number of ways, not least in ensuring that I always tried to spend around 20% of my time doing unpaid work. That has now increased to around 30% including free mentoring and being a trustee for Disability Sports Yorkshire.

When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?

I help people to become architects of their own future – through the companies I have run, the projects I set up, the books and learning programmes I have created, and by mentoring people to create their own dreams.

To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?

I have never planned anything in my life! I love the unpredictability of life and am always open to opportunities. I rely largely on gut reaction as to whether or not to do something. Occasionally that backfires, but mostly it has delivered joy, intellectual and emotional stimulation – and sufficient money!

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

I always have to look at my calendar to see what I am doing the next day. This is not just a component of cognitive ageing!

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

One thing I miss dreadfully from not having a workplace to go to is the constant learning from simply sharing a space with people. This is especially so with IT. I was largely taught about computers by my PA in my company and I now realise that I miss having colleagues to turn to and ask, “how do I do this?”

Watch out for part 2 of Barrie Hopson’s guest blog, out soon.

More

For more information about portfolio careers, click on this link:

http://portfoliocareers.net/

To find out more about ‘Live Happier’, click on this link:

https://livehappier.aviva.co.uk/

To find out more about Barrie’s book about portfolio careers, click on this link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Do-You-Creating-Portfolio/dp/1408116308

Want to create your own portfolio career? Click on this link:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/

Download your free report ‘Discover portfolio careers’:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Download your free report ‘Pain free career change’:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/testimonials/

Unsure what your transferable skills are, download your free report ‘Skills’ from this web page:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Read more guest bloggers accounts of their portfolio career:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/blog/

Alex Wade’s portfolio career – guest blog part 2

August 8, 2016 By // by Rachel Brushfield

Alex Wade book Flack cover

This is a two part guest blog by Alex Wade about his portfolio career. This is part two.

Alex is a writer and his principal interests are law, sport (especially football, surfing and boxing), poker and travel, as well as general features, football match reports and book reviews. Many years ago, when he was a media lawyer, Alex worked for leading libel firm Carter-Ruck before becoming now-Express Group proprietor Richard Desmond’s first Head of Legal Affairs. Subsequently Alex’s unreconstructed tendencies got the better of him. His life went off the rails but boxing played a large part in his rehabilitation. This story is chronicled in Wrecking Machine, a Sunday Times sports book of the week. Alex has travelled extensively and written about New York, Albania and Kazakhstan; Barbados, Ireland and Andalucía; Captain Cook country, Mexico and Francis Ford Coppola’s retreats in Belize and Guatemala. He lives in west Cornwall with his partner Caroline their two sons.

The rest of this blog is in Alex’s own words.

Here is a link to part 1 in case you missed it:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/alex-wades-portfolio-career-guest-blog-part-1/

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

The freedom. I was never any good at having a boss.

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

You’ve got to hold your nerve. Work comes and goes. In lean spells you’ve got to trust and believe that things will come round. One way to counter the anxiety inherent in this lifestyle is to have fingers in many pies.

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

My partner, Caroline Davidson, is brilliant. Together we run an editorial services business. She’s the organised one. I’m not.

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

Don’t be afraid – get out there and pitch. People can only say no.

What if any, is the personal brand used for your portfolio career?

For my own work I guess it’s brand Alex Wade. But I’m aware of how pretentious that might sound so let’s say there’s some irony in that answer…

What skills/experience/qualities does someone need to have a portfolio career?

The main thing is being… nice. Obviously you’ve got to know what you’re doing, whatever your field, but the portfolio career isn’t a place for corporate back-stabbing and pompous fools. It’s where you need to get on with people – to like them, being with them, working with them, in the knowledge that you’re not dependent on them so can always walk if they turn out to be obnoxious.

What advice would you give to someone considering a portfolio career?

Seize the day, especially when it comes to writing. Traditional jobs are changing overnight and old-school journalism isn’t a safe bet anymore. So think laterally about other people who might want your words, and go and find them.

What benefits do portfolio careers bring specifically to women and mothers, rather than to men?

I don’t want to presume to answer this one!

What are your top 5 tips to successfully manage a portfolio career?

Be disciplined – accept that you rarely have a day off
Work at it
Be generous to people – help others and they might help you
Hold your nerve
Think laterally – I once sold a travel story to one place six times over

More about Alex Wade

Personal web site:

www.alexwade.com

Alex Wade’s first novel, Flack’s Last Shift, is published by Blue Mark Books (£14.99).

www.flackslastshift.com

Alex’s Editorial Services business:

www.frugalspeech.com

LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-wade-5322724

Follow Alex Wade on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/surfnation1

More about portfolio careers:

Download our free report Discover Portfolio Careers

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Webinar about portfolio careers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF29AGuRIVw&app=desktop

Find out what your transferable skills are, download our free Skills report:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Download our free report Pain Free Career change from this page:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/testimonials/

Check out our web site Inspiring Portfolio Careers:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Alex Wade’s portfolio career – guest blog part 1

July 27, 2016 By // by Rachel Brushfield

This is a two part guest blog by Alex Wade. This is part one.

Alex is a writer and his principal interests are law, sport (especially football, surfing and boxing), literature and travel, as well as general features, football and poker match reports and book reviews. Many years ago, when he was a media lawyer, Alex worked for leading libel firm Carter-Ruck before becoming now-Express Group proprietor Richard Desmond’s first Head of Legal Affairs. Subsequently Alex’s unreconstructed tendencies got the better of him. His life went off the rails but boxing played a large part in his rehabilitation. This story is chronicled in Wrecking Machine, a Sunday Times sports book of the week. Alex has travelled extensively and written about New York, Albania and Kazakhstan; Barbados, Ireland and Andalucía; Captain Cook country, Mexico and Francis Ford Coppola’s retreats in Belize and Guatemala. He lives in west Cornwall with his partner Caroline and his two sons.

The rest of this blog is in Alex’s own words.

What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.)

It’s pretty much all paid freelance work, with a bit of volunteering. I work as a lawyer, freelance journalist, writer, occasional guest lecturer – and try and find time to be one of the trustees of environmental action charity Surfers Against Sewage.

How did your portfolio career come about?

By accident! I’m 50 now but back in my early 30s went off the rails for a year or so. Let’s just say that the conventional practice of law wasn’t for me. I also had a few demons to exorcise. Fortunately, they leave me alone these days.

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

Back in my early 30s, I made a decision to do what I’d always wanted to do – write for a living. I kept my hand in with the law, working as a night lawyer for the UK broadsheets, and banged on editors’ doors – luckily loud enough for a few of them to give me work. Back then I also wrote law reports – difficult, complex and not well paid – and wrote a lot for the legal trade press (more fun and better paid). I don’t do either of these things anymore. I’m also no longer involved in selling sports TV rights. I used to do this on behalf of someone in the industry, very much on a wing and a prayer. I’d travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, find the main broadcaster and try and sell in the rights to the FA Premier League, F1, boxing matches etc. Sometimes I’d be successful. Whether I was or not, I’d also go and travel wherever I was. This enabled me to get travel pieces away in the nationals, about places few people were visiting. It was a great way of building up by-line visibility. I don’t work in sports rights anymore, and don’t do so much travel writing these days either – it’s a loss leader.

When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?

Good question! Depends who’s asking. Usually I say ‘writer’ first – that’s what means the most to me.

To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?

By accident/chance!

More about Alex Wade

Personal web site:

www.alexwade.com

Alex Wade’s first novel, Flack’s Last Shift, is published by Blue Mark Books (£14.99).

www.flackslastshift.com

Alex’s Editorial Services business:

www.frugalspeech.com

LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-wade-5322724

Follow Alex Wade on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/surfnation1

More about portfolio careers:

Download our free report Discover Portfolio Careers

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Webinar about portfolio careers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF29AGuRIVw&app=desktop

Find out what your transferable skills are, download our free Skills report:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Download our free report Pain Free Career change from this page:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/testimonials/

Check out our web site Inspiring Portfolio Careers:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Ruth Farenga’s portfolio career part 2

July 20, 2016 By // by DigitalJenIPC

A portfolio career is a great future proof career options, giving flexibility, variety and fulfillment, and mitigating risk.

Ruth Farenga runs Farenga Ltd as a workshop facilitator, Mindfulness teacher and project manager specialising in corporate partnerships, education, gender diversity and Mindfulness theory and practice. Ruth has consistently trained people in new skills, starting in the corporate education sector with Pearson and Intel Corporation and then transitioning over to ‘e-skills UK’ in the third sector. She now runs her own business and as part of that, the ‘People Like Me’ girls into STEM project for the WISE Campaign (Women in Science, Engineering and Technology).

You can read part 1 of her blog here

The rest of this blog are in Ruth’s own words.

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

My dog! My dog Juno is fantastic for getting me out every day and keeping me company. I also find planning a rough schedule of when to focus on what in the week does help. If I leave it to chance, I don’t find I use my time as effectively so a loose plan is a good idea.

I’ve also found not writing huge intimidating lists a good idea! I’ve separated my projects out on OneNote (app and desktop) so I can add things I need to do for each project. This means I don’t forget things when they pop into my head. For any given day, I find a smaller more achievable list is better – it’s useful to ask yourself, what has to get done today to take the pressure off doing it all at once.

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

Particularly for the Mindfulness teaching, I use social media, the Mindful Pathway website and local networking. For the great causes work, I use LinkedIn and some networking, but I could definitely do more!

What if any, is the personal brand used for your portfolio career?

I do see myself as a champion for others, someone who can help enable causes and people.

What skills/experience/qualities does someone need to have a portfolio career?

I think to have a portfolio career, you need to be quite versatile, you need to enjoy variety. I think often you are passionate about a cause and a way of life and want to find lots of ways of fulfilling it.

What advice would you give to someone considering a portfolio career?

Firstly, I would say – hooray! Great that you’re considering it J I would encourage them to think about how they would balance their time, how they would look after themselves and how they would connect with others.

I would encourage them to think about what ties it all together. Even if in themselves, the elements seem quite separate, there is often a golden thread that can be seen. If you can articulate that, you’ll sound like you have a varied and cool life but also meaning behind it all.

What are your top 5 tips to successfully manage a portfolio career?

Plan – with lots of pots on the boil, it’s good to plan and allow space for your different projects in your week.
Connect – find groups or individuals with whom you can network and share, particularly where you can build long term relationships
Collaborate – if you like working with others, see where you can join up and run something together to share skills and motivate each other
Take care of yourself – whether it be meditation, yoga, running, the gym or something else, allow time to focus on you too
Pull the pieces together – to tell a story about what motivates you and why you do this variety of things. Show your passion when you tell it and you’ll be inspiring lots of people with your work and lifestyle

Thanks to Ruth for making the time to do a guest blog about her portfolio career for Energise.

More about Ruth Farenga

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthfarenga

Mindful Pathway:

http://www.mindfulpathway.co.uk/

Next course begins October 2016:

http://www.mindfulpathway.co.uk/mindfulness-courses/

Follow Ruth on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/roosterruth

https://twitter.com/mindfulpathway

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Ruth Farenga’s portfolio career part 1

June 25, 2016 By // by DigitalJenIPC

This is a 2 part guest blog by Ruth Farenga about her portfolio career. This is part 1.

The rest of this blog are in Ruth’s own words.

What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.)

My portfolio career consists of:

• Empowering great causes – currently freelance work for WISE Campaign (Girls and women in STEM) where I run a girls into STEM project called ‘People Like Me’ and train people on unconscious bias and how to effectively target girls.
• Teaching Mindfulness – Running Mindful Pathway which offers Mindfulness courses for business and the public, helping people find their way to a happier path.
• Giving local people a platform – Volunteering for Verulam Radio where I produce and support the Tuesday morning show on 92.6fm.

And most recently, champion of and facilitator at Energise 6 month Portfolio Career group programmes.

How did your portfolio career come about?

My portfolio career came about when I left a corporate partnerships role in London in search of variety alongside this type of work. I had come from a corporate background at Pearson Education and Intel Corporation and now wanted to bring both the corporate and charity experience into being a ‘free-range’ human!

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

Yes, I have been able to build up the Mindfulness teaching which is really important to me. I qualified while working in a full-time role and alongside colleagues, I have now been able to offer public courses in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy which has been an amazing opportunity to help people to discover their own path with meditation.

I’m interested to see how I can develop the different aspects of the career over time.

When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?

This depends on the situation. If I am networking at a national event, I would talk about how I ‘empower great causes through corporate partnership work and project management’.
If I was networking locally then I would say ‘I help people find their own path through meditation’

It all boils down to ‘I empower people and great causes’ which is how I can bring my pieces together. I think it’s important as Simon Sinek says for us to ‘Start with Why’ we do things – it’s motivating to remind ourselves and it enables people to see your zest and purpose.

To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?

I think it was planned but only planned when I realised, largely through coaching with Rachel Brushfield, that this was something that people did! And it was ok and rewarding to have a mix of things going on and to be doing volunteering every week for example.

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

I most love the variety of things going on in any given week. I like having the flexibility to be able to start new projects or collaborate with new people. The sense of opportunity round the corner is a feeling that I find very motivating.

I have particularly enjoyed collaborating with others too. I am a strong believer in the power of putting heads together and I get a lot of motivation from collaborating on areas that I care about.

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

The challenges are that things can get quite busy and you can feel like you’re spread a bit thinly at times. I do work from home quite a bit and I do find that I need people too so I try and mix it up with co-working with someone, attending meetings or events to break up the week.

Part 2 of Ruth’s guest blog about her portfolio career coming soon.

More about Ruth Farenga

LinkedIn:
Ruth Farenga LinkedIn profile

Mindful Pathway:
Mindful Pathway web site

Next course begins October 2016:
Mindful Pathway courses

Follow Ruth on Twitter:
Ruth Farenga Twitter

Mindful Pathway Twitter

More about Portfolio Careers

Rachel Brushfield is a Talent Liberator at Energise with 30 years’ experience and a career heritage in marketing and brand strategy and communications. She specialises in Inspiring Portfolio Careers.

Energise support our clients through individual coaching, e courses and group programmes.

Click on this link for details:
6 month Portfolio Career Programme

Taster workshop Friday 15 July 2016.

Guest blog part 2: Miranda Brawn

May 8, 2016 By // by DigitalJenIPC

This is a two part guest blog by Miranda Brawn. This is part 2.

Miranda Brawn is a multi-award winning legal business and diversity leader who is hailed as a trailblazer. Named Top 30 most inspirational women by Brummel, featured on CityAMs Women In The City and Speakers 100 Powerlists, BE Mogul Winner and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. With a background as an investment banker and a barrister, over 15 years’ experience in philanthropy and diversity work, Miranda wanted to go the extra mile and founded the Miranda Brawn Diversity leadership Foundation. She has also co-founded the General Counsel Diversity Leadership Forum and part of the Thomson Reuters Legal In-House Advisory Network and Business Law Consultation Advisory Board.

Here is part 1 of Miranda’s guest blog in case you missed it:

https://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/guest-blog-part-1-miranda-brawn/https://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/guest-blog-part-1-miranda-brawn/

The rest of this blog is in Miranda’s own words.

When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?

A lot – wearing several hats! Board advisor, Entrepreneur, Founder, CEO, Barrister, Banker, Investor, Public Speaker, Brand Ambassador, Founder of Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation, Vice Chair of the Black Cultural Archives, Business and Diversity Leader are among the main responses.

To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?

My portfolio career has happened purely by chance due to a range of interesting opportunities which have been presented to me in order to help make a real positive difference in the world.

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

I love the variety and diversity of the different people and industries with the continuous learning of new skills and knowledge which help my portfolio career. In addition, my extensive network has grown immensely which enables me to help others to succeed.

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

My PA is amazing and helps me to manage my diary in order to stay on top of everything.

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

My portfolio career has grown organically with the help of social media, word of mouth and D.I.Y. PR to help raise my profile. I have been able to use my business and marketing graduate studies from years ago to implement a successful marketing strategy for my various initiatives. In addition, I have relationships with several influencers, journalists, radio and TV producers to help with any of my PR campaigns. The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Scholarship was launched in the first week of January 2016 and I was approached by journalists, radio and TV producers who wanted to help to promote this diversity initiative.

What are your top 5 tips?

1) Develop a plan.
2) Get organised.
3) Have a support system.
4) Use your network.
5) Be open to unexpected opportunities.

What next?

More about Miranda Brawn:

Website www.mirandabrawn.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/brawnm

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirandabrawn?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Facebook www.facebook.com/MirandaBrawnEsq

Interested in a portfolio career yourself?

Download your copy of our free report ‘Discover portfolio careers’:

http://www.llclub.org/discover-portfolio-careers/

Guest blog part 1: Miranda Brawn

May 8, 2016 By // by DigitalJenIPC

This is a two part guest blog by Miranda Brawn. This is part 1.

Miranda Brawn is a multi-award winning legal business and diversity leader who is hailed as a trailblazer. A few awards include being named Top 30 most inspirational women by Brummel magazine, featured on the City AM’s Women in the City & Speakers 100 Powerlists, BE Mogul Winner and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is also a Future Tech Girl Role Model and on the Fem Tech Leader Global List for influential women within Technology. She has been nominated for a number of awards in 2016.

With a background as an investment banker and a barrister, Miranda has spent her career at some of the most prestigious global institutions such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase Bank. Miranda’s primary role is to manage the company’s legal risk across Europe for the derivatives, regulatory and securities financing business within an investment bank. Her previous roles have included sales trader and head of legal documentation.

With over 15 years’ experience in philanthropy, community and diversity work, Miranda wanted to go the extra mile and founded the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation. This provides future BAME leaders (including females) with opportunities and incentives via scholarships, diversity lectures, work experience and mentoring. This includes a partnership with The Prince’s Trust to help future BAME leaders from disadvantaged backgrounds. The aim is to increase race (and gender diversity) in Britain and beyond. Sponsors from the legal world include Hogan Lovells for the scholarship and the University of Law for the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture which takes place on 15th October 2016.

Miranda has co-founded the “General Counsel Diversity Leadership Forum” and “Color In Tech” to help increase race and gender diversity in both the legal and technology sectors. She is on the committee board for City Women Network to increase gender diversity within the Corporate sector.

She is also part of the Thomson Reuters Legal In-House Advisory Network and Business Law Consultation Advisory Board. Professional Ambassador for Aspiring Solicitors from since March 2015. Miranda is on the board as Vice Chair of the Black Cultural Archives, Patron of the Black British Academics and board advisor for other organisations.”

Miranda is on the board as Vice Chair of the Black Cultural Archives, Patron of the Black British Academics and board advisor for other organisations. Her portfolio career also consists of being a life & business strategist, investor, entertainment consultant, writer for various publications such as OTC Space & Chambers Diversity and an international LAMDA qualified public speaker. She is a Brand Ambassador for various brands which include The Fold London and Piaget. In addition, she is a presenter which includes providing commentary on television & radio for BBC, London Live & Sky etc. while being quoted in the likes of The Guardian and the Financial Times.

The rest of this guest blog is in Miranda’s own words.

What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc?

The components of my portfolio career consist of a full time job within an in-house legal department for an investment bank, paid freelance work and voluntary work within various sectors such as education, culture, diversity, personal branding, online and offline PR, business and technology (i.e. FinTech & RegTech). I am also an international public speaker for industry events, seminars, workshops, conferences and educational institutions etc. having spoken in Europe, US and the Caribbean.

One industry event which I have just spoken at was the Thomson Reuters General Counsel Leadership Forum 2016 on the topic of career management to senior legal professionals. http://practicallawconferences.com/gc-leadership-forum/.

I am due to give a keynote talk at the Legal Ex (Business Behind The Law) National Legal Exhibition and Conference 2016 in Excel London which is supported by The Law Society next month. I will be the only speaker discussing career management and diversity in law. Tickets are available via http://www.legalex.co.uk/.

I will also be speaking at the Generation Success “Climbing The Law Ladder” Event held at the House of Commons with some of the UK’s leading legal lights such as Lord Holmes of Richmond, Daniel Winterfeldt, Head of International Capital Markets and Diversity & Inclusion Partner at CMS Cameron McKenna and Paul Smith who is Chairman at Eversheds LLP.

How did your portfolio career come about?

My portfolio career was established when I left my commercial role as a sales trader on the trading floor at an investment bank. I had decided to give back to society by undertaking charity and community work during my garden leave. The main roles were UK Global Poverty Ambassador in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a charity board director. I had founded my own legal consultancy company which has recently won an award. My public speaking career was also launched during this time allowing me to inspire others to enter into various industries such as law and finance which has now developed onto other subject matters which include diversity, business and technology etc. Once my garden leave had come to an end and I had commenced my full time corporate role, I made a decision to keep some of my other roles hence my portfolio career was born.

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

My portfolio career has grown over time and I have had the opportunity to get involved with some great initiatives while meeting some wonderful people.

I have co-founded the “General Counsel Diversity Leadership Forum” with Catherine McGregor who is the Publishing Director at Legal 500. The aim is to provide a best practice & networking forum for leaders in the legal field to help generate ideas and increase diversity action. There is a lot of talk and networking events about diversity however the action and statistics are not matching at the moment. I have also co-founded “Color In Tech” http://colorintech.org/ to help increase race and gender diversity in Technology.

With over 15 years’ experience in philanthropy, community and diversity work, I wanted to go the extra mile and founded the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation. http://mirandabrawn.com/diversity-leadership-foundation-scholarship/.This provides future BAME leaders (including females) with opportunities and incentives via scholarships, diversity lectures, work experience and mentoring. This includes a partnership with The Prince’s Trust to help future BAME leaders from disadvantaged backgrounds. The aim is to increase race (and gender diversity) in Britain and beyond.

The main diversity issues being discussed tend to lean towards gender and social mobility which I have also been actively pushing. However, as a diversity leader I wanted to launch an initiative which went beyond public speaking and articles to play my personal part in leading the race diversity initiatives within the UK workforce which includes the legal sector.

Sponsors from the legal world include Hogan Lovells for the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Scholarship and the University of Law for the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture which takes place on 15th October 2016 at their premises. The recipients will be awarded their scholarships at this lecture. Dame Jocelyn Barrow will be giving a keynote address at the event. Dame Jocelyn was instrumental in the creation of the Race Relations Act of 1968. In the 1960s, she pioneered the introduction of multi-cultural education, stressing the needs of the various ethnic groups in the UK and she is a Patron of the Black Cultural Archives. Hence, she is the perfect person to address the next generation of BAME leaders and share her wisdom at the first Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Lecture. Her keynote address will be followed by my lecture on diversity leadership, to help inspire the next generation to get actively involved in diversity issues right now within their educational institutions and not to wait until they enter the workplace. Further information can be located from these web links:

http://mirandabrawn.com/diversity-leadership-foundation-scholarship/

http://bcaheritage.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Miranda-Brawn-Diversity-Scholarship-application-form.pdf

http://bcaheritage.org.uk/black-cultural-archives-announces-the-miranda-brawn-diversity-leadership-scholarship/

I am also on the committee board for City Women Network to increase gender diversity in the Corporate sector. I am part of the Thomson Reuters Legal In-House Advisory Network and Business Law Consultation Advisory Board. In addition, I am on the board as Vice Chair of the Black Cultural Archives, Patron of the Black British Academics and board advisor for other organisations.

Part 2 of this 2 part guest blog series by Miranda Brawn coming soon.

What next?

More about Miranda Brawn:

Website www.mirandabrawn.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/brawnm

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirandabrawn?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Facebook www.facebook.com/MirandaBrawnEsq

Interested in a portfolio career yourself?

Download your copy of our free report ‘Discover portfolio careers’:
Free report Discover Portfolio careers

Portfolio career part 2: Jenny Brewer

March 6, 2016 By // by DigitalJenIPC

This is the second in a 2 part guest blog series by Jenny Brewer.

Here is part one in case you missed it:

Jenny Brewer guest blog part 1

The rest of this blog is in Jenny’s own words.

How time flies! Another year has passed, another year enjoying my Portfolio Career – a mixture of business consultancy, mentoring and speaking skills
I have also learnt a great deal, sometimes formally, such as a teaching diploma and other times the important skills for which there’s no award or certificate but which are essential, like managing my business on my own, keeping on top of the admin, looking out for new clients and keeping in touch and up to date with the things that matter to my work.
I have also learnt to be discerning and to say “no” to those things that I no longer enjoy doing – this is one of the most difficult things I have had to do as I have spent a lifetime saying “yes” to every opportunity. Now I no longer have to do this.

I have learnt not to fear a gap in my work and to enjoy the pauses between projects as me-time – time to review how I want to go forward.

Where to Now?

Time to make some changes. After two years it is time to focus on the things I enjoy the most and those where I have more to offer. I am looking at areas where I can become more of an expert; where I can develop procedures and programs that will enable that part of my business to develop so I can go the extra mile for my clients.

Be Flexible/Be Different

I have decided that going forward I will concentrate on:

• Mentoring,
• Leadership and
• Speaking Skills

Since I started my Portfolio Career, I’ve understood how important it is to be flexible and adjust to the needs of my clients. I have enjoyed using these skills and developing them in others. I believe many professionals benefit from understanding the ability to mentor and to be mentored as well as the strength and power that comes from acquiring leadership and speaking skills. These skills help my client to focus on their own career, to ensure that they keep their career under the spotlight and to steer it in the right direction.

Times Are Changing

Several years ago when I first started, I didn’t know where my Portfolio Career would take me. During my career, I was used to making decisions, sticking with them and working hard to make them a success. Now, times have changed; now, I believe it’s ok to change my mind, to ask myself what do I enjoy? Can I change this to make it more fulfilling, more rewarding for me too?
Removing business consultancy from my portfolio will enable me to be more effective in taking charge of what I do. There will be no crisis calls and emails and no high-risk decision-making. It will also give me more time for my family.

Visit Jenny’s web site:
Jenny Brewer web site

What next?

Could a portfolio career be for you? Download your copy of our free report now:
http://careerstrategies.co.uk/changingcareersreport/

Interested in mentoring, leadership and speaking skills? Contact Jenny Brewer: hello@achievingsuccess.co.uk

Jenny’s client testimonial

“During the coaching and even when it is finished, Rachel puts her clients in touch with valuable contacts, makes introductions whenever she can and involves her clients in projects to give them experience and add to their skills. She does everything within her power to make sure her clients succeed. I highly recommend Rachel for anyone who is stuck in their career or needs to find something new for whatever reason – she is an inspiration.” Jenny Brewer, Business Advisor & Mentor.

Funke Abimbola Guest blog – the sequel part 2

January 28, 2016 By // by DigitalJenIPC

This is a 2 part sequel guest blog, an update to the guest blogs Funke did for us in 2015. In part 1 Funke shared what has changed and how the change came about and in this post, part 2, she shares the significance of the change and what next for 2016.

Funke is a practising solicitor and multi award-winning lawyer and diversity campaigner. She joined Roche as Managing Counsel in January 2012, leading the legal team supporting Roche’s pharmaceutical operations in the UK, Ireland, Malta and Gibraltar and was also appointed as Data Protection Officer for the UK. She was promoted to General Counsel & Company Secretary in December 2015. Her career began in private practice before moving in-house. Outside of her role at Roche, Funke undertakes a lot of work to support diversity & inclusion in society as a whole and within the legal profession in particular, initiating and driving through a range of ground-breaking diversity initiatives. She has received national and European recognition for her diversity work, all of which is carried out in her spare time on voluntary basis.

Part 1 of this guest blog in case you missed it:

Sequel guest blog part 1

What is the significance of this change for you?

The changes were all significant to me as they showed once again that there is no substitute for hard work, determination and maintaining your focus, whatever the challenges. Tenacity always pays off in the end. I feel incredibly privileged to be making such an impact across all roles within my portfolio career.

What next for you in 2016?

I am focusing on developing my leadership even further and have an exceptional executive coach who is helping both me and my team to exceed our goals. Various members of my team have been promoted to new roles and I look forward to supporting the whole team’s development as we make our 2016 vision a reality.

Outside of work, I will continue to build upon last year’s diversity work across several diversity strands, including gender, and to broaden my influence into broader CSR initiatives. I already have 15 speaking engagements booked for 2016, including another engagement at the BBC and speaking at the House of Lords.

I was recently appointed as a Patron for Asian Voice’s Charity Awards (more details can be found at http://asianvoicecharityawards.com/) and look forward to supporting this new awards programme designed to reward those charities with a big vision, seeking to solve the most pressing social issues of our time (both in Britain and globally).

I am hoping to speak to over 2,000 school children this year, impacting positively on their lives by showing them what is possible with hard work and determination. As the mother of a teenage son, I find working with school children incredibly rewarding and absolutely fundamental: children really are the future and should be given every opportunity to maximise their potential. For example, I am speaking at an event in March called “The Art of Diversity”, a nationwide competition for children aged 4-19 to create a piece of art showing what diversity means to them (see https://theartofdiversity.communisis.com/). My son has entered the competition and I look forward to being inspired by the children’s vision of what diversity means.

The list of what I hope to achieve during 2016 is endless but above all, I want to be able to look back on this year and feel proud of what my team and I have achieved, both within and outside work.

Read Funke’s original guest blogs from 2015:

Part 1
Original guest blog part 1

Part 2
Original guest blog part 2

What transferable skills do you possess that you could leverage in new and different ways? Download your FREE report now:
Changing careers report