We talk to our new Learning and Development Manager, Charlotte Lappin

Tell us a bit about your background.

My degree is actually in theatre but it’s perfect for learning and development! The course was involved in all aspects, but I especially enjoyed directing. There are many parts of being a director that apply to my current role at Retail Assist, as it requires you to make plans and bring people from different departments together.

After university and a short stint as a Mad Scientist children’s educational entertainer, I worked at a call centre: first as a Dedicated Operator and then as Training Quality Co-Ordinator. After here, I moved to the University of Nottingham where I worked at the students’ union, liaising with both staff and students. Although I loved my time there, I craved a new challenge and wanted more development. When I saw the role at Retail Assist, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to knit together various parts of my skillset and experience.

What does your role as Learning and Development Manager entail?

My role is brand new and constantly evolving. Whilst it’s currently focused on training and developing colleagues on the Help Desk, it’s moving to broader aspects of the company. I’m naturally a people helper and I’m excited to look at the opportunities to develop our people in a wider sense.

What does your average day look like?

It’s safe to say that there is no average day! I love the variety of my role; it can range from delivering coaching sessions for our Client Lead Analysts, to creating different training programmes for internal teams, to developing our apprenticeship scheme. I’ve also got some exciting plans for some new company-wide initiatives. Watch this space!

What’s your approach to learning and development?

I believe that working should be collaborative, inclusive and empowering. This is the focal point of how I work and I keep those elements at the heart of everything I do. With that, I also believe in bringing together experts to ensure we have the right content in the right way.

What’s the favourite thing about your job?

I’d always wanted to lead my own team; the opportunity to develop my own people and to build those relationships was something I was looking for in a new role, so I’m delighted to have this here at Retail Assist. I know I’m biased, but my team are amazing – I’m very lucky to work with such fab people!

What do you enjoy most about working at Retail Assist?

I’ve always been a people person and in every job I’ve ever had, the thing I’ve enjoyed most has been the colleagues I’ve worked with. It’s safe to say that this is the same at Retail Assist! I love working with people who have a positive focus and I feel like we’ve already learnt so much from each other. It’s a really great team environment and it’s a lovely atmosphere to work in. I’ve also been impressed with how much internal promotion there is within our company; it’s always such a positive sign when people are given opportunities and are continually invested in.

If you had to pick, which songs sums up your job?

Tough question! When I came to my first interview here, I played The Greatest Showman soundtrack to get me in the right zone. Then, for my second interview, I had to run a training session and I used ‘The Greatest Show’ in the background of some of my activities to make it more relaxed. Luckily, the team interviewing me loved it! It’s a positive and upbeat song that means business. Whenever I hear it, it always puts me in a great mood.

If you’d like to join our growing team, take a look at our Careers page here.