Program Launch ✔
Senior leadership buy in ✔
Recruitment ✔
Senior leadership buy in ✔
Recruitment ✔
✔ Multi-team management
✔ Project management
✔ Long-term strategy
✔ Project management
✔ Long-term strategy
Context:
Capital One (EMEA) is an American bank that only specialises in credit cards in the UK.
Problem:
The Design department at Capital One had a strong team of talented associates but all associates were stretched in their roles, as well as the projects they were running. When designers would leave, a gap in knowledge was left behind due to the lack of standardised approach to the department, as most associates joined at a senior level or higher.
Solution:
When looking at areas like Tech and Marketing, you saw how beneficial a Graduate Programme was to development, progression and delivery of business needs. It allowed for scalable knowledge sharing, as well as opportunities for motivated individuals to stretch into managerial roles. I put together a proposal to produce and trial a design graduate program, where we would hire a graduate level associate that we could train within Design and follow their progression throughout the company. I presented it to our senior director, and was given the green light to pursue this.
From structuring the programme itself, to planning the recruitment process and putting a team together to help interview and make the final decisions, I was able to hire our very first design graduate at Capital One, who later became a core asset to the team. The program still exists today, many years after I left the business.
