Fiona Inglis - Transforming Business, Career and Lifestyle.

Below, we discuss careers, Forfusion’s growth and future plans, as well as the positive impact of the Forfusion gym membership and other benefits.

Could you outline a little of your background and how you came to Forfusion?

I’ve worked in the technology sector for a significant portion of my career, initially in Scotland for a national firm. This mainly consisted of customer service but grew into a supporting manager position under the Director, travelling to our offices up and down the country, checking on processes and administrative operations.

I was extremely grateful to be granted a transfer when relocating to Newcastle but was starting to feel a little disillusioned and desired a fresh challenge. A relevant role came up for me nearby at Forfusion and, having heard great things about the company, I applied.

As the old saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve just had my fourth anniversary here and I still love coming to work every day.

It’s great to work in the technology sector. I’m not overly technical, but I like to learn how things work. I’m happy to have a technical consultant explain to me the benefits of some of the technology we provide for our clients. And that’s one of the great things about Forfusion, the technical guys can take this stuff and explain it to you on a human level to help you understand.

In your role as Sales Support Executive, what does a typical day at Forfusion look like for you?

There isn’t a typical day I suppose, things can sometimes drop onto my desk at the drop of a hat!

I’m usually an early riser and, because we have a flexible working policy here, I can sometimes be in the office between 7 or 8 in the morning. This all depends on what gym classes are on that day. As a key company benefit, we get a free gym membership for the CBX Gym downstairs, here at Cobalt and it’s completely changed my outlook on keeping fit and healthy.

As far as my role goes, it mainly covers admin and sales support but has branched out a bit in recent times. We’re working in more sectors than ever, with ever-increasing international reach, so I also sort a lot of the logistics for when our engineers are on client site.

So, the business has changed somewhat during your time?

Definitely. Headcount was less than 30 when I joined, I think we’re at around 50 now, with quite a few coming through the door in 2019. There are more accounts and projects to support and an extra office down South.

We’ve moved office in Newcastle, too. We were in a bit of a cupboard when I joined, with around 12 desks or so. It’s been fascinating to watch the company grow and I really can’t envisage it not getting even bigger in the coming years.

You mention previously that Forfusion provides a gym membership to employees. What impact has this had on your lifestyle? Were you particularly active before this?

If I said I was active before this, I’d be telling a bit of a white lie! I had a gym membership back in Scotland when I was about 21, but I never went, there was always a convenient excuse! Now, in my 40’s, I’ve never felt healthier and fitter.

The positive impact on myself doesn’t just stretch to physical benefits, it’s done the world of good for my confidence, too. I’m a chatterbox in familiar surrounding like the office, but generally quite a shy person. Attending the gym classes have allowed me to feel more at ease in unfamiliar settings.

The early Friday morning bootcamps can be a little brutal, mind!

What other aspects do you particularly enjoy about working at Forfusion? Either benefit or culture specific.

As well as the free membership and healthy snacks in the office, Forfusion also offers Vitality Health Insurance that rewards and encourages employee’s healthy lifestyles. But, without being cliché, I would have to say my favourite perk is a caring environment where you’re comfortable enough to ask for more perks. Ideas are always acknowledged and considered.

The atmosphere is great too. Work hard, play hard. There’s a real balance where we do have our heads down at times, but we also have our Friday afternoons with bingo, pizza and the odd beer!

I don’t really know if it falls into the culture or benefit category, but the flexibility Forfusion offers is a huge plus and I know this resonates across the team. When I had a family emergency, my management went the extra mile to ensure I could work remotely in Scotland until everything was sorted. I’ll forever be grateful for that.

It’s cool to work for a company that continually strives to improve the employee experience.

To discover more about the Forfusion culture, and to see our latest vacancies, please visit Careers.