Tag: setting the standard

At Altavia HRG we recognise that the collective contribution of the team is crucial to the business. But especially from those who make the extra effort to increase our level of service.

In recognition of the outstanding work, dedication, talent and innovative ideas he brings that empower Altavia HRG, Florin Iftimie is awarded as Stand Out Performer. We caught up with him to learn more.

What is your job title?
I’m a Senior 3D Designer at Altavia HRG.

How does it make you feel to be recognised in this way?
It’s a great feeling and gives you confidence in what you do. The fact that you’re appreciated makes you want to work even harder!

Tell us a bit more about your professional background?
Before I moved to the UK, I worked as a 3D interior designer. When I moved to the UK I started working within the retail industry and I’ve been doing 3D design for the last 18 years now.

How has your role evolved since joining the company?
It’s been a long journey and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I started as a midweight 3D designer and then moved to a senior 3D designer.

What does your typical day look like?
I work closely with our Creative Director to take an initial idea and interpret into a visual. I also consider the technical aspects such as how a particular fixture will be made. It’s my job to think about the materials, positioning and the overall function.

What skillset or qualifications do you need to be successful in your role?
Nowadays you can learn 3D design at university but when I started it wasn’t an option and much of it was self-taught. That was my experience into 3D and animation.

In terms of skills, you need creativity and passion for what you do. You also need to have the willingness to keep learning. Especially with technology and new software, there’s new features all the time so you have to be able to adapt to keep yourself on top of the game.

What do you wish more people in the business knew about your role?
Originally, I taught myself the foundations of 3D design, modelling and illustration using online tutorials and courses and then I learnt product visualisation and animation. As result now we have two new products we can offer to clients.

So you’re self taught?
Yes, the 3D skills I have, I’ve learned myself initially. But to be successful, its not just about product visualisation, rendering and animation. To begin with I had to learn more about photography and videography.

Everybody that works within this field will always say if you’re doing product rendering and 3D animation, go and learn a little bit of photography because it works in the same way. When I’m setting up a camera, I’m choosing a lens, although it’s a virtual lens, I’m choosing a lens in the same way a photographer would choose his own lens, lights, lighting colours and so on, so you need to you to have this knowledge. For instance, when doing product rendering, you’re basically recreating a photo studio in 3D; but with a real photo studio there’s limitations on how many lights you’ve got, how many soft boxes you’ve got to create various reflections, etc.

In terms of educating yourself, there’s loads of tutorials and online courses. With 3D there are no limitations.

That’s really impressive. Have these services been rolled out for many projects?
Yes, we’ve done product visualisation for Jack Daniels. We’ve also been developing more animations to create more dynamic presentations. More recently, I created the visualisation of the stands at TFWA Exhibition and Conference in Cannes for the Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection, which I animated. The 3D animated walkthrough was fantastic in terms of giving the client a real understanding of how the space would be utilized. We’re always trying to develop new ideas which just makes my role even more interesting.

Which project are you particularly proud of?
It would probably be the latest bottle I’ve rendered for the Jack Daniels Single Malt that was launched in Cannes.

This year, the projects at Cannes has been really big for us, collectively we’re all extremely proud of the work we’ve put and how well it has been received.

Away from work, how do you unwind. What are your interests or hobbies?
I spend a lot of time with my family. I usually go for a walk and take the dog out if I need to be on my own.
In my university days in Romania I used to do a lot of mountain hiking. In the UK, I’ve done Snowdonia and some in Scotland but in Romania, there are more options. I always enjoyed hiking up the Carpathian Mountains.

I also do a bit of cycling and swimming here and there. Ultimately, I think my favourite way to unwind is spending time, experimenting and building things in 3D. Some people like to watch movies or play video games, I enjoy creating 3D designs.

Do you have any mentors in your professional life?
From a design point of view yes, I’ve worked a lot with Paul Beynon, he’s a great Creative Director and I also work with Richard Allen daily who is a Creative Lead.

How would you describe your team?
It’s a great team! There’s a lot of talent in the studio and we’re very collaborative and supportive. We’re always learning from each other.

If you could have a career in anything else, what would it be?
To be honest, there’s nothing else I would do. You could say being a creative runs in my blood. I come from a long time of creatives. My great grandfather was a sculpture. My dad, his brothers and my mum were shop window designers. Back then they didn’t have the tools we have now, they would have to do it all by hand with brushes and oil paints. So I grew up in a very creative environment.

Where do you see yourself in the next couple of years?
Hopefully I’ll become a Creative Lead based solely on 3D design which is where my passion truly lies.

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.

In any business, successful teams depend on the individuals within the team to make it a success. Very often, within these teams are the unsung heroes. Those whose hard work goes into delivering results from the ground up, not looking for praise or recognition.

These are the people who make our jobs and time at Altavia HRG better and easier. In all instances they make a critical impact to the day-to-day running of things.

Meet Unsung Hero award winner, Resources Manager Zoe Brooks whose attention to detail, work ethic and passion has garnered much praise and admiration within the business. Though the job is no mean feat, she is described as a saint who constantly caters to the demands of everyone.

We caught up with her to learn more.

Firstly, how does it feel to be recognised in this way?

I am not one for attention by any means, but it is actually really nice to feel that all the hard work you put in gets noticed, at busy periods it can be none stop for weeks, with the stress levels for the whole company being raised, it’s a good feeling to have your hard work noticed and to feel appreciated.

Tell us more about your role and what your typical day look like?

Most of my working day involves managing the schedule of the artworking and development team, it can be quite a full-on role at times. There are some very intense periods across the year, and it takes a lot of concentration and planning to make sure everything that’s needed is fitted in within the team, in the timescales required.

The other areas I cover are recruitment and onboarding of new staff, sourcing additional freelancer requirements, and working with them regarding and any future bookings.

It sounds like you run a tightly oiled ship. Do you find it can be challenging at times?

Sometimes yes, trying to fit in more work when there is literally no space and with the added pressure of delivering to meet the clients’ requests is challenging. But even when we’re really against the wall, I also lend a hand with artworking.

That’s interesting, tell us more about your work background

I previously worked at the UK’s largest calendar producer/printer as their studio manager so I have a background in reprographics and artworking, so I can generally sort any problems that either the Account Teams or artworking studio have along the way. I’m always happy to lend an extra hand to get the job done when we are bursting at the seams in the studio.

What skillset do you believe you need to have to be successful in your role?

You need to be a team player 100% because you’re supporting and collaborating with all the teams within the business. You need to be well organised and structured with a good understanding of the projects that are being scheduled. A bit of a photographic memory helps so you can go straight to jobs that have had updates or be able to recall when someone fires a question.

What motivates you at work?

Ultimately, it’s doing a good job. But also helping other people within my team as well as the wider business, to understand what we need to do, to achieve the best processes and ways of working.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

I like to see the work we have produced out in the real world and not just on our screens.

Away from work, how do you unwind?

There are a few ways that allow me ‘switch off’ and that I enjoy.  I personally enjoy walking and being outdoors. It’s something we enjoy doing as a family and now with having a dog there is no excuse. We love taking Koko out with us.
For the past 8 years I’ve also been practicing Ashtanga yoga. For those that are familiar with it, it’s a style of yoga that focuses on muscle training and developing physical strength. It helps me feel rejuvenated and controlled.  Oh, and I do love a good true-life movie or series and read thrillers when I get the chance.

So, you’re pretty outdoorsy, where have your adventures taken you?

Yes, we walk anywhere and everywhere, we aim to get two walking breaks each year around the UK. Our favourite areas are in Wales and Scotland – completing the West Highland Way a few years back for Charity achieving 98 miles over 6 days.  
If we’re able to get a summer holiday booked, we’d always pick somewhere that allows us to go off walking too. So, a relaxing but also active holiday.

That’s amazing. Have you participated in many walks to raise money for charity?

Well, I participate in the company’s charity initiative regularly completing 120-130 miles per month. I’ve also participated in the Macmillan Mighty Hikes, which raises funds for those living with cancer. It’s not really a walking event but we love attending CarFest, it’s so much fun and raising money for a variety of children’s charities.

Not only do you support the business in such a critical way, but you also find time to support charities. How do you do it all?

I suppose it’s just the way I was brought up. I’ve always had a strong work ethic even from when I was younger. My brother and I used to work by stacking straw bales in the countryside for £10 a day for the local farmer. It was exhausting but we loved it. I think you’ve just got to get on and do your best, hopefully in the most efficient way possible.

If you could have a career in anything, what would it be?

I would have like to have been a forensic pathologist, it really interests me.

Being recognised for your hard work and support is a fantastic feeling. It’s made even better when it comes from the people you work with day in, day out – your colleagues.

At Altavia HRG we make it a mission to champion our colleagues who we believe really embody our core company values.

Meet Melvyn Walker whose selfless support throughout the business garnered him much praise for countlessly going the extra mile.

Giving hours of his time (even weekends) to support colleagues, he also took time to create valuable training tools to aid employee development. We caught up with him to learn more.

What is your role at Altavia HRG?
I’m a Senior Creative Artworker

Did you always want to become a creative artworker?
It’s something that I wanted to do since I was about 10 years old. I was always fascinated by print and design and never really wanted to do anything else… except perhaps restore historic racing cars.

What sort of duties do you have at work?
There are several key elements to my role, but mostly it involves working closely with the Creative Directors and the Customer Service team to develop initial concepts into working assets that meet the needs of our suppliers down the line. It’s not just adding bleed and crop marks.

What does a typical day at Altavia HRG look like?
It’s incredibly fast paced, one minute I’m working on print-based projects, the next I’m creating motion graphics, or retouching, digital assets such as web banners and email templates, or a pitch presentation… it all comes around eventually. Wherever I can help, I’m glad to.

What motivates you at work?
Getting the job done properly. With digital, it’s incredibly easy to cut corners and be sloppy, for me the motivation is to try and make even the most mundane task less mundane and to give it the same care and attention as the glossy jobs.

What do you wish more people in the business knew about your role?
Job titles are subjective to a sliding scale of skill sets. With the speed and advancement in apps, mine is a constantly evolving role and with the ever-changing arena of mediums available to clients, it’s a role that can constantly expand, it just requires keeping half a step ahead of where I am now.

It’s great to be able to offer the business other services that can keep the creative in-house and it’s always nice to still be able to surprise people.

Is there a standout project you’re proud of?
There have been several motion graphics projects I have been quite proud of, they’re mostly internal comms so they rarely get to see the light of day with clients, but a couple have gone down quite well that clients have requested the file to use for their own presentation needs, so that’s always nice to hear.

Aside from your role as Senior Creative Artworker, how else do you support the business?
I supply in-house photography and video for clients as well as internally. This includes assets for presentations and pitches, case studies and social media. I also regularly do photoshoots for one of our client’s campaigns which includes pack shots and food photography.

How do you live the company’s values?
At Altavia, what’s important to us is our people and our passion. Our values apply to not only our clients and partners but also to our colleagues. It’s embedded in the way we make decisions, the way we strategize and the way we treat each other. I make it my mission to let it be known that I’m always ready to help, learn and I’ll always be a friendly face. Generally, we all have a work ethic that promotes going above and beyond and increasing positive outcomes at work.

If you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
It would be to listen to advice . . . and buy shares in Apple.

What are 3 words that you believe make our team unique?
Wisdom, Dedication, Support.

Meet Neil Hickford, the winner of our charity award initiative, which encourages colleagues to take part in an exercise challenge to raise money by getting active.

Last year, Neil’s participation in this challenge helped us to make a significant impact in raising money for an important charity.

His modesty, drive and generosity are an example to us all. We caught up with him to learn more.

Which charity did you raise money for?
My miles contributed to raising money for the Lily Mae Foundation, it’s an extremely meaningful cause and one that we all hold close to our hearts.

What was your contribution to the charity?
I completed 4,720 miles, raising £472. Collectively as a business we raised £2,774, completing 17,526 miles in total for the Lily Mae Foundation. It absolutely give me that feel-good feeling and reinforces our core values at Altavia HRG.

Obviously you’re a keen cyclist, how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been cycling for about 10 years now.

What motivates you to cycle?
Mainly to maintain my fitness. Due to a knee injury I had to stop running so since then I had to find another form of exercise that worked for me. I’ve always been an active person, so the worst thing was waiting for the injury to heal before I could go out again. I really tried to not lose motivation because I knew the sooner I could get active, the sooner my knee would heal.
I know for a lot of people having the motivation or finding the time to exercise is hard, but just adding daily movement that you enjoy is a step in the right direction, it’s how I approached it.

Who inspires you
My kids. Their world is all new and exciting with so many prospects ahead.

How do you live the company’s values?
Working together and giving back is a core part of our company culture, we like to do what we can to make a difference within the workplace. One of the ways we do this is through our charity initiative, the ‘Miles’ scheme which is an active challenge, and something I knew I wanted to get involved in to help raise money for charity.

Giving as a company
Neil’s fantastic mileage contribution played a key role in our overall fundraising efforts for the Lily Mae Foundation. To put his completed miles into perspective, that’s the journey from London to Jamaica.

Our charity initiative The ‘Miles’ scheme encourages our colleagues to engage in exercise in order to fundraise for local and national charities. Each year, within the team we propose which charities to fundraise for. For every mile walked, ran, swam or biked, Altavia HRG donates a sum of money towards the chosen charity. We simply have to log our miles using a tracking app and submit them monthly. Each mile completed goes a long way in helping us make an impact to a meaningful cause. 

Being able to partake in an activity that is not only significant in terms of the difference you’re making but also impactful on your wellbeing, is so beneficial, it allows for ‘me time’. An opportunity to go at your own pace and try something new or continue doing what you love. For me that’s hopping on my bicycle and pedalling off for a couple of hours. It allows me to keep active both physically and mentally. As the famous saying goes “A healthy body, a healthy mind” right? 

There is a huge sense of accomplishment in raising money for charity and in taking care of your wellbeing which does wonders in increasing productivity. 

2021 was a fantastic year for us, we were able to donate for important causes.

At Altavia HRG we’re on a mission to set the standard for what’s possible for brands in retail.

We’re also on a mission to set the standard internally for team work, collaboration, treating each other with respect, and generally being an amazing team. Our colleague awards, The Standards, continues to recognise and celebrate those who bring our core values to life.

We’re celebrating the achievements of 3D Development Designer, Neil Pretorius who has been awarded our Charity Champion. The award recognises the exceptional contribution to those who donate their time and effects to raising money for charity.

We took some time to catch up with Neil to discuss his role at Altavia HRG and how his passion for helping others led him to fundraise for an important cause.

Why did you choose to become a Development Designer?
I was inspired by my design teacher at school who recognised my interest in industrial and product design, and encouraged me to pursue this further as a career.
As a kid, I loved taking things apart. Kettles, toasters, hairdryers and other electrical items were not safe if I was around. I had a natural curiosity to understand how things worked and that early skill and interest has been transferred into my role today.

What’s your typical day at Altavia HRG like?
My typical day comprises of managing the development schedule and transforming the amazing ideas and visuals produced by our studio into accurate, detailed technical drawings for manufacture.  You could say I turn dreams into reality.

How do you live the company’s values?
At Altavia HRG, we’re encouraged to set high standards, and this goes beyond the walls of the office. We strive to not only give more to each other and to our clients, but also to give more to our community. I wanted to give back and saw an opportunity to make a difference by raising money for charity.

Which charity did you raise money for?
I got to raise money by taking part in Strictly Northampton, a dance competition, inspired by the popular BBC One show and organised by Step by Step dance school. The competition helps to raise funds for Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

Did you have any prior dance experience?
Not at all. I was a complete novice at dancing but was up for the challenge and ready to just throw myself into it. I honestly could not have done it without the amazing teachings of my dance partner Tasha.

What was the training process like?
Just like the TV show, we were given 8 weeks of intensive dance training to firstly learn how to dance and then to learn the choreography ready for the competition. Getting up on stage at the Royal & Derngate in front of hundreds of people was definitely nerve-wrecking but also thrilling.

Overall, how did you find the experience?
It was a truly amazing experience with a group of fantastic people and one that I will never forget. I am beyond proud that we collectively raised over £55,000 for the charity which will help to support people who are facing life-limiting illnesses and their families.

At Altavia HRG we’re on a mission to set the standard for what’s possible for brands in retail.

We’re also on a mission to set the standard internally for team work, collaboration, treating each other with respect, and generally being an amazing team. So, we instigated The Standards, our internal awards for a a variety of different things (like the Oscars, but way cooler)!

We caught up with our Bright Beginnings winner, Kelseigh Zammit, to discuss what a day-in-the-life of a Digital Strategist looks like at Altavia HRG.

What’s your job title?

Senior Digital Strategist

What skillset or qualifications do you need to be a digital strategist?

I don’t think there’s an obvious progression into strategy but having a natural curiosity and being unafraid to ask questions helps. I did journalism at uni and worked as a journalist, website manager and a copywriter/editor before I went into strategy and learned skills that I use on a daily basis.

What sort of duties do you do at work?

All sorts. Leading on digital marketing strategies including social media campaigns, digital activations, comms plans, ecom toolkits etc. Conducting consumer research, and doing research for product launches and campaigns, improving clients’ digital content, that kind of thing.

What does a typical day at Altavia HRG look like?

It’s pretty varied, depending on what my team is working on. I could be researching for a pitch, doing some consumer testing, analysing customer data, or brainstorming on social content. I might have a creative briefing to do with the studio team or a presentation to a client.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

Working with some amazing brands and seeing the impact or engagement your online campaigns are getting.

What part of your job isn’t so enjoyable?

Doing timesheets!

What’s something you find challenging about your job?

I’m not dedicated to one account so I get to work with most of the clients we have within the agency, which is great, but can also be a challenge to keep up with everything that’s going on with each account and know each brand inside and out.

Do you have any mentors in your professional life?

I don’t have any official mentors but I’ve been really lucky to have some really amazing and inspiring bosses throughout my career who have taught me a lot.

What was your first paying job?

A paper round when I was 13 that I hated! As soon as I was old enough I got a weekend job in a clothes shop and then waitressed my way through university. My first paying job after university was being paid £25 for writing a little 200 word column in a Sunday magazine and I thought I had Absolutely. Made. It.

Who inspires you?

My sister. She has a really tough job in public service and has just started her own business while on maternity leave. She doesn’t make excuses and just makes things happen and I think that’s inspiring.

Where did you work before this position?

I worked in Amsterdam at Tommy Hilfiger’s global headquarters in their in-house creative agency.

What’s your most-used productivity hack?

Eat the frog! I can’t even remember where I picked this up but the gist is basically if you have a long to-do list just ‘eat the frog’ and get the worst task or the thing you’re worried about most done first and out of the way.

Who do you look up to within the company?

Does it make me a kiss-ass to say my manager, Friday? He’s just a really great manager; good with people, detail orientated, doesn’t take himself too seriously and not afraid to roll his sleeves up and do the work. He always knows exactly what the whole team is working on and supports us all individually.

What’s a skill you’d like to improve on?

I’d really like to be able to do the splits…

What motivates you at work?

I was really chuffed to receive my ‘bright beginning’ award 4 months after joining the company. It was a great boost to know the work I was doing was being noticed, especially as a newbie when you’re still getting to grips with everything and just hoping you’re doing okay.

If you could have a career in anything, what would it be?

I’d like to write children’s books one day.

Professionally, where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Maybe head of a strategy department? And moonlighting as a children’s author?