Vanessa Bird

Experience

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  Commercial Union Assurance

  Nov 1993 - May 1997

  Reporting to the Assistant General Manager I was responsible for the research, design, production and marketing of all new insurance products, and the design and production of branded product literature for agency sales forces. Also, the upgrading, redesign and standardisation of the existing product range. In addition I also produced Underwriting Guides and training materials for staff and intermediaries, and was regularly involved in other areas such as research projects, the company magazine, mail-shots, corporate gifts etc. Show less

  • Operations Manager, Personal Lines Insurance

    Aug 1995 - May 1997

  • Product Development Specialist

    Nov 1993 - Jul 1995
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  Allianz Insurance (Hong Kong) Ltd

  May 1997 - May 2001

  Reporting to the Managing Director, this was a newly created position where I was responsible for establishing a new department that eventually grew to a ream of 12 staff. The department acted as a support function to the underwriting and claims departments; the main responsibilities of the Customer Services Officers being to issue policy documentation and handle telephone enquiries. In setting up the department I was responsible for the recruitment and training of new staff, development of departmental policies and procedures, and the implementation of company service standards. I also introduced Complaint Handling Procedures and a Customer Satisfaction Survey. Show less Reporting to the General Manager, Industrial Division, I was responsible for managing a team of 3 staff involved in the business development, underwriting and placing of reinsurance for large corporate accounts. My team specialised in handling International Insurance Programmes on behalf of Allianz clients, therefore the role involved a great deal of communication with overseas offices. As Product Manager for Financial Risks I was also involved in the development and introduction of 2 new products to the market: Professional Indemnity and Directors & Officers Liability Insurance, as well as being responsible for the underwriting and training of staff on these product lines. Show less

  • Customer Services Manager

    Jul 1999 - May 2001

  • Operational Manager, Industrial Division

    May 1997 - Jun 1999
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  Heaven Scent Aromatherapy Ltd

  Dec 2001 - Jun 2004

  Company Director

  I set up a company importing Tisserand aromatherapy products from the UK and distributing them to spas and retailers throughout Hong Kong.

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  Cornwall County Council

  Jul 2005 - May 2008

  Seconded to a project team responsible for rolling out a new home care computer system county-wide. This involved planning for the roll-out district by district, training the admin and home-care teams, and producing training manuals, as well as system development and testing, and providing a help-desk service. An extremely busy and varied role supporting operational staff (Care Managers, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Home Care staff etc.) and dealing with all related telephone enquiries from the public. Also included general reception duties. Acting as PA for 3 senior managers within the Directorate, as well as handling all administration for a counselling service for children and young people who had suffered abuse. The post was transferred to County Hall in January 2006.

  • Systems Administrator

    Oct 2007 - May 2008

  • Administrative Assistant, Adult Social Care

    Jan 2006 - Oct 2007

  • Administrative Assistant, Children, Young People & Families

    Jul 2005 - Dec 2005
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  MoreThan Pet Insurance

  Sept 2008 - Aug 2009

  Customer Service Representative

  Handling all types of customers' telephone enquiries from MoreThan and Marks & Spencer Pet Insurance. This could range from simple policy wording enquiries, to processing payment of renewals, as well as dealing with claims enquiries - this particular aspect of the job required a great deal of patience and empathy as customers were often upset and worried when their pets were ill, and facing huge vet bills. Other responsibilities included processing of policy amendments and dealing with correspondence, filing and post-room operations. Processing claim forms and cheque printing. Providing a call-back service for customers with complaints or more complicated enquiries which could not be handled by other members of staff. Show less

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  Kaliko

  Sept 2009 - Nov 2011

  Retail Sales Associate

  Serving & advising customers, giving information on products & prices, helping customers to find outfits, advising on availability of stock. Taking payment by cash or card and processing refunds. Processing deliveries, replenishing stock and merchandising in an attractive way. Promoting special offers & encouraging customers to sign up to e-newsletter. Ordering goods and transferring stock to other stores. Handling any complaints, or passing them onto manager. Keeping store clean & tidy, completing daily paperwork, setting up float and till, cashing up in the evening & key-holder responsibilities. Show less

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  Christ Church Centre

  Aug 2011 - Sept 2019

  Centre Manager

  The Christ Church community centre in Henley-on-Thames is open 7 days a week, with bookings from early morning until late at night. It is a hub of the local community offering meeting rooms and halls to hire, a kitchen and restaurant area, as well as the Church which is frequently used for concerts, and a small Chapel.As the Manager, I was the main point of contact for people visiting or calling the Centre, and as such dealt with a vast range of enquiries and situations. I also dealt with all the office administrative tasks.I supervised 4 other part-time staff as well as working alongside a number of volunteers, both from within the Church and from the general community. Through the Centre I was involved in fund-raising activities all year round, and also helped to organise the Church Autumn Fair each year which raises about £2,000. Two years ago I arranged an event which funded a defibrillator for the Church.I was regularly involved in managing large-scale events, either on behalf of the Centre / Church or alongside clients. These include information events, concerts, school visits, art exhibitions, formal lunches or dinners for up to 100 people (e.g. Henley Women of Inspiration Christmas Curry Lunch, Freemasons Christmas dinner etc), the Henley Literary Festival, Henley Youth Festival, Henley Educational Trust, Henley Living Advent etc Show less

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  High Schools International

  Sept 2012 - Apr 2015

  Responsible for locating and assessing host families for international students, ensuring all relevant checks and paperwork are completed correctly. I would then meet with the students and their host families every term to ensure the placement is running successfully and monitoring the student's academic progress, providing written reports for the agency and the student's family. I was also responsible for 2 international students at boarding school and setting them up with host families for ex-eats and half-terms. Show less

  • International Student Advisor

    Jul 2014 - Apr 2015

  • International Student Host Parent

    Sept 2012 - Jul 2014
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  REGUS - IWG plc. Offices | Coworking | Meeting Rooms.

  Sept 2019 - Jan 2020

  Community Sales Manager
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  CloudFactory

  Mar 2020 - now

  • Head of Talent, UK, Europe & US

    Jul 2024 - now

  • Talent Manager, UK & Europe

    Jan 2024 - Jul 2024

  • Talent Operations Specialist

    Jan 2023 - Jan 2024

  • Associate Talent Operations Specialist

    Mar 2022 - Jan 2023

  • UK Office Manager

    Mar 2020 - Mar 2022