Diana Christie

I joined Quilter Cheviot as a Team Secretary/Investment Administrator in July 2013 on a FTC. Covering maternity covers for the first 2 years for 2 different investment management teams before receiving my permanent contract. My role was quite varied and I really enjoyed the interactions with the clients and financial advisers. Most of all my Birmingham office colleagues are an amazing team to work with. As well as the day job Quilter Cheviot had various office events like the annual drinks reception for clients and advisers and team and office social events that have took place.

In 2016 – 2017 I studied for the CISI IAD qualification but unfortunately didn’t see this through to the end due to personal reasons. The steppingstone that contributed to the role I am in now was when I created my monthly Inclusion and Diversity newsletter for the Birmingham office appropriately named ‘Di-Versity Time with Di Christie’. This was a way for me to share and provide information to my colleagues on cultural celebrations as well as the activities our employee networks were doing. It was useful as I was able to communicate with people for different areas of the business that I normally wouldn’t have done. In April 2022 I moved into the role of Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator which has been a real positive change to my career. Being involved in many initiatives and helping driving change is very rewarding.

What has really helped with my work/life balance over the last few years has been hybrid working. Having three children and a full time job can be hard work at times but this flexibility makes a difference.

I would have to say my mum, she is one of my biggest influences. She always has a positive outlook on everything and if there was something I couldn’t do she would be the first one to say I can do anything I put my mind to.

Have a clear goal of what you want to achieve in your career and don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek feedback.Start to build a network of people to build relationships with inside and outside of work for example a mentor.

Be proactive and take initiative, don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, if you see an opportunity for you to develop and learn, then go for it. Even when you may face some setbacks always try and stay positive, don’t think of it as making a mistake.

I felt it was time for a change and as well as changing roles I decided to change the type of industry to work in. I had worked in the commercial leisure industry for some time and when I was put forward for the role at Quilter I thought why not. After having the initial telephone interview and hearing about Quilter and the role, I said this was the place I wanted to work at. It was the first role I did so much research on just to ensure I was ready for the main interview and it paid off.