A common thread

I’ve gone down so many different paths throughout my professional journey ౼ from working in the criminal justice system to liaising with c-suite executives. And while my roles and responsibilities have varied wildly throughout, each position I’ve held has shared the same ultimate goal: forming connections with people to work more effectively.

Protecting the community

At the beginning of my career, I regularly sat across the table from high-risk offenders. With a degree in psychology & international relations and a master’s in criminology, I spent a lot of time with offenders convicted of some of the most heinous offenses. I was responsible for interviewing them, understanding their triggers, developing risk management plans to mitigate risk of harm to the community and ultimately assessing their risk of reoffending. As I advanced in my career, I took on more responsibilities, managing multiple teams and residential settings and combining this with other responsibilities such as leading various projects and contributing to policy making.

One aspect of my previous career that I do not miss, was the sheer emotional weight and consequences of the job. But as difficult as it was, those experiences helped me to develop and forge the skills that make me successful in my current role.  While I am no longer working within the criminal justice system, my day to day is still quite busy and challenging in many other ways.

Exploring the many opportunities at Sodexo

Since joining Sodexo in 2015, I have had the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of projects across several segments ౼ from Healthcare to Justice and Education. The variety of professional challenges that I faced helped me evolve and take on different roles. In fact, I’ve purposely sought out projects that I knew nothing about in order to expand my network and gain new knowledge and expertise. And I’ve been able to do so, in part because it’s in my nature to be curious and put myself out there, but also because I’ve been lucky to have crossed paths with several unofficial “mentors” within the company. I feel like this is something unique to Sodexo. No matter how senior people are, I’ve found that they are still willing to give up their time to formally/informally mentor and share their experiences and insight. I’ve learned from them, and I hope that they’ve learned from me as well. The way of working in Sodexo allows this type of exchange to be a natural part of professional development. 

I’m not an engineer and I didn’t have a technical background ౼ and yet, I worked for three years in Sodexo’s global technical services platform. This is because Sodexo looks at your ability, competence, and transferable skills, and not just the qualifications that you have listed on your CV. At the time, I had the support and guidance of a great leader, who took the time to explain things to me, to bring me into calls and share his experience. I truly believe that this is how people learn and progress. It’s something truly unique to Sodexo.

A people company

Today, I lead the Project Management Office for Sodexo Europe’s President, Sunil Nayak, working with senior leadership teams to support their initiatives and bring strategies to life. And while I am worlds away from where I started, there has been a common thread running through my professional journey: a focus on people. I’ve spent my career doing jobs that, in one way or another, protect people, to look out for what’s in their best interest and to make a difference. And, at its core, Sodexo is a people company. Whether through hospital contracts, schools, sports, offices, the Group delivers services that have an impact on lots of different people's lives in a positive way. That’s what we aim for as a company and that is what truly resonates with me and my personal values.

Find out more about a career with Sodexo

This article was created by Natasha Cooke, PMO & Transformation for Sunil Nayak- Europe President, Sodexo