BCI Global Awards 2022 – Winner Spotlight: Charlotte Strickley
We are pleased to introduce Charlotte Strickley, winner of the 2022 BCI Continuity and Resilience Newcomer Award. In this short article, we share Charlotte’s career journey and experience in entering and winning both a BCI Regional and Global award.
Charlotte started her Business Continuity (BC) journey by initially volunteering as an ‘extra pair of hands’ to help the BC team during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she has remained in the Group M&S BC team where she says, “I learnt to deal with both serious and crisis incidents in the UK and overseas; provide actionable insight on crisis incidents (e.g., Covid-19) up to Board level and maintain the annual BC Governance programme.”
Charlotte joined M&S in 2018 on the Graduate Scheme, where she spent time working in a Retail Store before joining Head Office. She was working on a variety of projects and gaining a well-rounded knowledge of Retail Operations. She explains, “My training has enabled me to understand different areas of the business and build relationships with a range of stakeholders; something that has really helped me in my current BC role. I am so grateful for what I have learnt from the BCI, the M&S BC Team (Isobelle Pearce and James Shields, BC Managers) and my boss (John Frost, Group Head of BC & Safety), and felt this was an opportunity to share these learnings with the BCI and its members.”
At the BCI Europe Awards and Global Awards, Charlotte was awarded with the BCI Continuity & Resilience Newcomer Award, a category where judges look for an up-and-coming continuity/resilience star of the future. Charlotte explains, “I am so grateful to have won the BCI Newcomer Award. When it was announced, I was sat in my flat with a cup of tea, which soon became prosecco post-announcement. I was so surprised when it was announced but ecstatic.”
Although being a rising professional within the industry, Charlotte explains that she had no prior knowledge of BC before joining the M&S BC team, she explains, “I was learning about BC as the pandemic was unfolding. I was eager to understand more about the Good Practice Guidelines (GPG) so chose to complete the CBCI course. This insightful course enabled me to explore aspects of our current programme at M&S. The support from the BCI has been invaluable, so being awarded Global Newcomer by such a distinguished organization is a privilege I will never forget.”
The BCI Awards have also contributed to an advancement in Charlotte’s career, as they have proved to be a great way to demonstrate her and the organization’s progress within the discipline. She says “it has meant so much to me and the M&S BC Team, as it has given us an opportunity to demonstrate and measure our progress against the industry over the past few years. It has also accelerated my career by contributing towards my recent promotion.”
When it comes to providing advice for those looking to enter the 2023 BCI Awards, Charlottes says, “Being new to such a well-established and fast-paced industry can be daunting, however, it is such an exciting industry to be a part of and the BCI Awards can really help you to immerse yourself in it. My three key pieces of advice would be: Believe in your own capability. When you start to write down your achievements since joining the BC industry, the submission will write itself. Dedicate time to write the awards submission. Finding time can be challenging, however, the awards are worth it! The BCI are an epic support in increasing your BC knowledge and confidence. And finally — reach for the moon, you’ll land amongst the stars.”
The BCI Regional Awards 2023 are now available to enter!
You can now enter your nomination for the BCI Regional Awards. There are 13 award categories available for each region that cater for professionals/consultants, teams, and/or organizations. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase and gain a prestigious recognition for your work and stand out in the Business Continuity & Resilience industry.
Follow the links below to learn more about the application process, the judges and more. If you are ready to submit your nomination, the please click here.
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About the author
Charlotte Strickley
Business Continuity Manager, Marks And Spencer
