James D.

From Soldier to Fraud Team Leader

I started my career journey in 2011 joining the British Army straight from college as a combat Medical Technician. This gave me vital knowledge and leadership skills to use throughout my life and career. Leaving the military in 2018 I spent 2-3 years in Australia before heading home and joining First Central. I quickly moved from an entry-level role into a management role within my first year here.

I manage and mentor a customer-facing team of colleagues.

I lead a strong team of colleagues and help grow and support them so they can do their roles. I work alongside other team leaders and collaboratively we look for solutions and try to build our department into the best possible department it can be.

Seeing colleagues grow, from interview stage to where they are now.

I have the pleasure of interviewing potential colleagues. It’s amazing to meet someone at interview stage then, fast forward a year, seeing them pass probation and move through the levels. Growing as individuals and employees, learning skills and progressing through their own careers. It’s amazing to be part of that journey to help mentor and guide them.

Take every opportunity you can get to better yourself and others.

The army taught me a lot about personal values and it’s something I always look back to. Apply them into everything you do and you’ll go far. Make it clear where you want to get to in the future and take opportunities to learn and grow to get there. Always reach out to people as you never know where this will take you. Most importantly, do things outside your comfort zone regularly and what was previously daunting or hard will become easy!

Leading a team in the Sierra Leone Ebola crisis

This is a huge achievement I’ve always been proud of. I was a lead medic in a team based in Moyamba, Sierra Leone, treating Ebola patients alongside providing clinical support to locals. This was one of my first experiences in a leadership role and I learnt so much from the six months I spent there. It was an extremely challenging operation, however one that will stand out forever because I grew so much during this period. It was here I realised just how important teamwork is in a lot of the work we do and that’s something I’ll always take away from this experience.