In the first of our blogs on 'My purposeful work', Joanne Nelson, Specialist Adviser - Fintech and IT, shares how she's found her own new purpose to work happier, smarter, and on her own terms.
Saying goodbye to security to leave full-time employment in 2022 and pursue freelancing for a better work-life balance and newfound freedom is not easy, but the joy to choose to only work with people I like and respect, with interesting clients, and amazing colleagues, was the sweetener to convince me.
And I did, indeed, have the pleasure, through joining, to work with some interesting clients last year and delve deep into the world of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) shipping and global precious metals trading, (2 industries I previously knew little about).
Petredec, the world’s leading LPG shipping and trading company has a long heritage and plays in a pretty niche market. The leadership team know all the key movers and shakers and the business continues to grow and expand into new areas. But with that expansion, it became clear that the business required a clearer group proposition, and brand architecture that outlined their key business areas as discrete, and yet, complementary operations, that need to talk to their respective stakeholders with their own distinct story and proposition.
I played an instrumental part in creating a compelling group value proposition and developed the narrative for their ESG strategy, which plays an ever more vital role in demonstrating to investors, customers, partners, and employees that the company has a clear purpose in creating more sustainable assets, better workplaces, and better communities. It’s a powerful experience to steer an organisation on that journey, helping them to join the dots between their daily business operations and the value and outcomes it delivers.
I also had the pleasure to work with the newly appointed Global Head of Sustainability & ESG for Gerald Group, the world’s largest commodity trading company for refined metals and raw materials. As that industry as a whole, is changing its narrative and showing the world that minerals and metals are a part of the solution in addressing some of our main global challenges such as climate change and conservation, it felt significant to be involved in their inaugural Sustainability Report that defines their new “portfolio with purpose” and represents who they are as a company.
Leaving behind a bad work life and finding my own new purpose to work happier, smarter, and on my own terms, is shaping up to a brighter future in 2023.