International Women's Day 2019

Kura is in a wonderfully unique position where the majority of our Senior Management Team is female. From Senior Operations Managers, to our Director of People and Culture and everyone in between including Planning, Recruitment, HR, Transformation and Estate Services; our teams are led by women.

Kura People Ask Questions – so we asked our female leaders to tell us about their journey to their current role…

‘’I started out as a Customer Service Advisor working as part of an Inside Sales Team, from this I progressed to a Team Manager before getting the opportunity to step up into the role of Head of Telemarketing and then to Head of Sales. After 10 years of working and progressing internally I was made redundant. Being made redundant led me to my current role at Kura. Coming from a larger organisation where I knew everything, to a brand new place was extremely daunting. However fast forward three years, the support and guidance I have received has helped me to become better within my role. Kura has Values that they uphold and although I still have lots to learn, they have really opened my mind. Working at Kura has changed me for the better’’.

 Lydia McKinnon- Senior Operations Manager

‘’I started with Kura in May 2009 as an Advisor. From there, I moved into supporting the recruitment team before finally settling into Estate Services in May 2010 as an Administrator. During my first few months as an administrator my development continued, I was learning about the technicalities of running a business and learning how I could develop further into a manager’s role. By September 2010 after only 4 months in my administrator’s role I was promoted to Team Manager and as of May 2015 I became Estate Services Manager, responsible for 8 properties across the Kura estate. I am responsible for the physical infrastructure of all Kura properties; this also includes the working environment for our people. My role covers health & safety, security, cleaning, physical security, procurement & contract management, lease negotiations, seating capacity, utility management and ISO standards; 45001 and 14001. In 10 years, Kura has helped develop my career in ways I would never have imagined; it has helped me to understand my weaknesses and any areas that may be holding me back and through this has helped me become a better manager’’.

Leigh-Ann Patterson- Estate Services Manager

‘’Hard work, self-reflection, strong teams and a Leadership Team that believe in you and your abilities are the key ingredients to the success of my career. My Kura journey began in February 2016 as a Recruitment Team Leader, a role in which I worked in for over 18 months before taking my next step to Recruitment Manager. From there, as of December 2018, I was promoted to Head of Recruitment. My current role includes identifying Kura’s recruitment needs and working to create and implement an efficient talent acquisition strategy to improve recruitment and business performance. I am also responsible for developing, managing and maintaining a highly-skilled team to assist with talent development. Kura has helped me develop my career as it has provided me with the tools to support my personal development and to focus on what I need to achieve to be a successful Business Leader‘’.

Claire Cameron- Head of Recruitment

‘’The journey to my current role as Head of Transformation at Kura consists of continuous development and study. I started out as a Sales Advisor for a popular energy company before moving onto a new business and role as a Quality Improvement Analyst. Further progressing into Transformation Leader, studying change and improvement methodologies, tools and techniques working at a local, UK and European level. During my 17 years I also completed a master’s degree in Strategic Quality Management. Since starting with Kura almost 18 months ago, I have been responsible for managing strategic initiatives and change within the business. Kura has helped my career grow further through leadership development investment and continuous coaching’’.

Caroline Deans- Head of Transformation

‘’Hard work and a strong willingness to learn have ensured my career with Kura has been one of continuous development. I have worked with Kura for over a decade, starting as a Customer Service Advisor working on various campaigns. Fast forward and I am now Head of Operations in Glasgow, as well as our offices in Liverpool and Forres. My Career with Kura has been greatly rewarding and successful due to the coaching and mentoring support I have received from the Leadership Team’’.

Jane Somers- Head of Operations

Happy International Women’s Day!