Damon Rickard

Experience

• 

  Apollo Home Entertainment

  Jul 1994 - Dec 1997

  Store Manager

  Staff trainingStock and cash controlIncreased the Purley branch revenue by 15% through introducing mid week rental deals and ensuring customer fines were collectedOversaw three record weeks in succession in the Epsom branch which was followed with a sustained increase in revenue

• 

  Target Express Parcels

  Jan 1998 - Sept 1998

  Office & Warehouse Assistant
• 

  Combined, a Chubb Company

  Jan 1999 - Jun 2011

  Managed a departmental process re-engineering exercise covering six teams and 65 staff including a complex and large number of processes and tasks.Subject matter expert and project lead, representing all Operational departments in a company wide, section 166 review instigated by the FSAResponsible and one of two key decision for the introduction of new technology into the department, moving to a paperless environment including completion of all requirements documents and full User Acceptance TestingReduced annual turn over from 100% in 2007 to 0% in 2009, through improved coaching and training including cross training to revitalize roles and enhance motivationReviewed a proposed end-to-end analysis and was able to determine a flaw in it its process. Redesigned the process which resulted in a £900,000 saving to the businessEnsured departmental practices adhered to external audit, Irish Regulatory, FSA and SOX requirementsIntroduced robust, measurable and customer focused SLAs into the department including weekly reporting to the BoardCo-developed a fit for purpose Anti Money Laundering Policy for the UK and Republic Of Ireland including a robust and detailed on line training and policy guide Managed a reduction in sales agent queries by 27% through measurable goal setting in a target driven environment, improved communication and service delivery Experienced in handling various HR focused processes including capability, grievance, individual redundancy consultation, appraisals, return to work and disciplinary hearings Promoted a strong culture of on-going and tailored development amongst five direct Manager reportsDevised and implemented a collections strategy to resolve unpaid contractor salary debts across the business saving the company £90,000 per annum Show less

  • Sales Accounts Manager & Deputy Head of Operations

    Oct 2007 - Jun 2011

  • Sales HR Supervisor

    Feb 2006 - Oct 2007

  • Various Roles

    Jan 1999 - Feb 2006
• 

  Partnership Assurance

  Jan 2011 - Aug 2014

  Working alongside Corporate Partners to bring a non advised B2C annuity service proposition to their customer base.• Creation and implementation of new direct to customer team through building of all processes and process maps, call scripts, training program, user guides, project plan, technology requirements and implementation• Focused on a pro-active approach to training and customer feedback, ensuring complaints were kept to a minimum with only three recordable complaints since inception• Introduced a Quality Assurance framework to ensure both quality and regulatory standards and requirements were met • Managed the telephone based sales and service team with a focus on delivering customer service excellence• Implemented a phone based survey with an NPS score of 41% for 2013• Secured a high value contract with Virgin Money, Delivered £6 million in premiums within 6 months• Managed Relationships with Virgin Money, Tesco Compare, Friends Life and AVIVA among various other high profile brands• Surpassed business expectations of 30% conversion rate, achieving 40%.• Oversaw web content development to ensure the customer journey exceeded customer expectations• Meeting financial objectives by forecasting requirements; preparing an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analysing variances; initiating corrective actions.• Enhancing department and organisation reputation by through excellent relationship management with internal and external stakeholders • Maintained high employee engagement demonstrated with only one leaver in over two years and oversaw two promotions to other areas of the business• Carrying out human resource objectives including; recruiting; coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; communicating job expectations; planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions; planning and reviewing compensation actions; enforcing policies and procedures, introduction of fun and challenging reward schemes Show less

  • Pension Annuity Service Manager

    Sept 2011 - Aug 2014

  • Customer Fulfilment Team Manager

    Jan 2011 - Jan 2012
• 

  Raedar Ltd

  Mar 2014 - Mar 2014

  Film Director

  Co-directed the short The Tour starring Tom Gordon, Jessica Cameron and Heather Dorff.The Tour went on to garner a host of nominations at film festivals throughout the world including best short film, best director, best actor and actress amongst others. It has also won various awards including best actress and best ensemble cast.It premiered at Europe's largest genre festival, Fright Fest and went to other prestigious genre festivals such as Screamfest and The Rio Grind.

• 

  The Open University

  Aug 2014 - Feb 2015

  Interim Operations Manager

  Implemented a consistent approach to procedure documentation which included the introduction of process flows, a robust version control and appropriate sign off procedure• Managed and coached the Team Leader group; implementing improved one to one paperwork with consistent delivery of meetings, daily huddles and improved resource management• Delivered robust and SMART objectives for the management group and front line staff, the format and general content subsequently being utilised across other University Business Units• Created and implemented improved call monitoring forms and best practice guidelines as well as improved call quality MI for delivery to senior management with an increase of 15% in the average score• Reviewed and updated all current Job Descriptions to ensure they were fit for purpose ahead of departmental restructure, which included addressing an imbalance between contract and full time staff as well as a more stable management line.• Analysed current MI resulting in improvements to the daily operational reporting and introduction of weekly and monthly reports • Designed a productivity tool which improved various measurement abilities as well as greater MI and allowed for individual productivity measurement where previously it was team based• Initiated cross training through the implementation of a Skills Matrix alongside cross training objective setting and robust personal development plans• Set in place succession planning with staff development and proposed University wide structural change to allow for recognition of senior front line staff as well as the increased responsibility of the Team LeaderAchievements (based on year on year stats)• Reduced incoming call traffic by 21.6% through improved productivity and ensuring SLAs are achieved and exceeded.• Reduced abandonment rate by 58.3%• Increased the volume of calls answered in SLA by 14.8%• Improved average speed to answer by 41.1% Show less

• 

  Raedar Ltd

  Apr 2015 - Apr 2015

  Film Director

  Writer, producer and Director of short film The Package starring Tom Gordon and Dan Palmer which is currently in post production.

• 

  PRS for Music

  Jul 2015 - now

  Overseeing the assurance of PRS for Music royalty distributions

  • Head of Operational Assurance

    Dec 2021 - now

  • Interim Head of Operational Assurance

    May 2021 - Dec 2021

  • Senior Operations Improvement & Optimisation Manager

    Feb 2019 - Dec 2021

  • Senior Service Delivery Manager

    Jul 2015 - Feb 2019