Meet the team: Mercedes

Thanks for keeping up to date with our monthly Meet the Team segment, we hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as we have because they’re staying for the long haul. So, without further ado, keep reading to find out what Mercedes loves most about her role, who she’d love to be for the day and what makes her smile.

Tell us about your role at Financial Wellness Group

I am Learning & Development Business Partner (which is fancy terms for a trainer and someone who cultivates learning). It’s a fascinating role because I oversee all our training and development, including management training, creating online learning, and creating and enhancing our training to support our most vulnerable customers. It means I get to explore and share new learning styles and topics that will not only help enhance our customer service but also supports the colleagues within Financial Wellness Group.

What led you to this role?

I originally started at Financial Wellness Group in a customer service role but quickly realised I enjoyed supporting new colleagues and had a flair for creativity; always looking for ways to help people develop. It took a while for me to get my foot in the door as a trainer, but I progressed through mentoring, then managing mentors, to being a full-time Learning & Development Business Partner – and I love it.

What’s been the most challenging part whilst working through the pandemic?

I’m not sure challenging is the right word, but training sessions have always had an energy to them that both feeds the person who is delivering the training and also those attending the training, so cultivating that engagement via remote (online/digital) means can be a little tricky to gage.

What energizes you at work?

Sounds corny, but my team and the people I work with – seeing other people being passionate about subjects we are discussing and bouncing ideas off one another – you can’t help but be energized!

What keeps you busy outside of work?

I am an artist so most of my outside of work time I am drawing or painting, working on commission pieces, updating my website and social media platforms or applying to galleries and exhibitions – it’s almost a full-time job in itself (never let anyone tell you being an artist is a laid back pursuit!)

Have you seen anything recently that made you smile?

The open car park near my apartment always has the most random things happen (photoshoots, dance-offs, even a mariachi band practising!) and yesterday I saw a man with an easel doing a painting with his dog sat next to him. Just lovely.

If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?

Now, do you go for someone you admire or for someone where in one day you could really shake things up? I think I would swap with an assistant to someone powerful rather than the actual person in power, to get the inside scoop (without the repercussions of accidentally messing up something important!)

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a tap dancer, but I was told that I was too tall (crushed!)

 

Don’t forget to catch up with Andy in last month’s installment!