We’re celebrating Julie Shipston, the winner of our Team Player award which recognises the dedicated colleagues who display extraordinary integrity and generosity towards their team members.
We truly believe she embodies the very essence of team spirit in her camaraderie, cooperation, and collaborative efforts within the teams she has worked in since joining the business.
Her willingness and ability to help others has helped us all achieve our common goals.
We caught up with her to learn more.
What is your role at Altavia HRG?
I am an Account Manager within the Global Travel Retail team
What are your daily duties?
Managing client relationships, communicating effectively, and responding to requests in a timely manner. Day-to-day, I take in new briefs from the clients and schedule artwork to the studio, ensuring project deadlines and budgets are met. I always try and conduct my own research too, just to see what we have done for the client previously, so I completely understand the history. There’s a fair bit of administration involved as well as project management.
Tell us about your professional background?
My background is in project management, I actually used to work for a competitor. So, with that I was able to bring my project management skills to my current role, which really helps as you understand the management of the briefs as they go through the business, you understand the process, challenges and all.
Have you worked within other teams at Altavia HRG?
Altavia.HRG have been so good to me. I’ve bounced around some of the teams since initially joining. I was originally employed as an Account Manager in the Global Travel Retail team however Covid hit, and I was lucky to be furloughed until I was brought back into a different team. I’m so appreciative of the company for keeping me on furlough through those months in 2020.
Right now, I’ve been working on a client account which involves working across three teams which I’m really enjoying.
So, you’ve been part of 3 teams since joining the company?
Yes, since joining in March 2020 I’ve been involved in the Global Travel Retail team firstly, was then furloughed, then joined a different team, and now back to the Global Travel Retail team.
Tell us about your current team?
They are an extremely supportive team and we’re also a really tight team. Emily, in particular really looked after me and imparted her knowledge and advice having already been part of the team for several months.
Work wise, we’re working much more efficiently. The decision to bring the project managers within the same team and just be one team has been the best thing because we can appreciate what’s involved at an earlier stage. So, when we’re doing things, we’ve all got that project management knowledge, which helps in making the process smoother, creates less mistakes and means things are picked up earlier.
What skillset or qualifications do you need to do your job?
I think you need to have an attention to detail but importantly you need to be personable and patient.
What is the most exciting part of your role?
Because of my prior experience in project management and seeing a project later down the line, I really love that in account management you get to see it all from the beginning.
What is the most challenging part of the role?
I suppose it’s having the right answers when it’s beyond the clients’ requests and you can’t just give a simple response.
Outside of work how do you like unwind?
I love going to gigs and to the theatre. More recently I’ve seen Haim and KT Tunstall but I love going to 80s gigs. I’ve been on a few 80s Butlins weekenders with my sister. It’s fancy dress and is so much fun.
Do you have any mentors in your professional life?
No, I don’t but when I first started working with a key client, I’d always call Florin, he’s the fountain of all knowledge when it comes to Global Travel Retail design.
What motivates you at work?
Doing something and doing it well. I’m conscientious and probably my own worst enemy so when I don’t have enough time to do something, I get frustrated with myself.
What’s the skill you’d like to improve on?
It’d probably be to develop the skills to make me a fully rounded account manager, developing more in creative strategy.
If you had a career in anything, what would it be?
It would have to be something in the film industry, I’m a big movie geek. I actually did a stage production when I was younger and played Brigitta from The Sound of Music.
In terms of a career I’m not sure exactly what I’d do, I’d be quite happy in just being an administrator. Nothing that requires me to be in front of the camera.
