From chemist to software business manager
IT and software development are usually considered to be the
province of the male of the species. Certainly when 30 year old
Emma Thomson moved to Aberdeen five years ago little did she think
that she would find herself working for a software solutions
company as a Business Manager.
Emma comments, "I have a BSC in Medicinal Chemistry but when I
was studying for my degree I realised that I did not want to spend
my life in a lab carrying out research - I enjoy interaction with
other people too much for that. When I left university I did what
many students do and started temping, working in a call centre.
This proved to be very valuable experience and taught me a lot
about dealing with other people and the value of customer
service."
"Although people are sometimes taken aback when I mention that I
work for a software development company I don't view myself as
being unusual because I'm female and work in the software industry.
Stereotypes do still abound and there is a commonly held view that
anyone working in software or IT is a 'geek' but this isn't
necessarily the case."
Emma's relationship with Codify began when she was the Assistant
Manager for a serviced office provider in Aberdeen. Codify rented
office space and Emma got to know the people behind the business.
Two years later, Codify was growing and needed to employ a Business
Manager.
"I was approached by Codify at a time when their business was
growing and they needed to employ someone to implement structure
and policies across the business in order to sustain and manage the
growth. The role appealed to me as it also offered the opportunity
to learn new skills as well as having a varied remit," says
Emma.
Emma's day to day role is varied and includes accountancy,
business development and the day to day running of the business.
Emma adds, "Interpersonal and multi tasking skills are vital when
working in such a fast paced environment. Something else that I add
to the mix is a non technical viewpoint; for example this means
that I can ensure that marketing and sales information does not
concentrate too heavily on technical information. Working in a
software development company it can be hard to get the balance
right and make sure that the salient points are included without
getting bogged down in unnecessary technical detail."
Emma adds, "Career wise moving to Aberdeen was a very positive
move for me. Shortly after arriving in Aberdeen I took a job with a
serviced office provider as a receptionist and within a year I had
been promoted to Assistant Manager. Indirectly this position
contributed to my move to Codify. I think the fact that Aberdeen
has such a buoyant and busy economy means that anyone with the
right skills and a good work ethic can get on and progress their
career."
