Insider profil
Keen to receive questions about
Top Insider Advice
1. Don’t be afraid to ask for support. No one succeeds alone. Join support networks, find a coach, mentor or sponsor. Get as much help as you can! 2. Step outside your comfort zone and take on new challenges, even if they are a bit scary! Growth doesn’t happen in familiar spaces. Take on challenges that stretch you, that make you uncomfortable and ultimately lead to new skills and greater confidence. 3. Make things happen – look for sideways moves to develop your skills, not just promotions. Think about development programmes. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, seek them out, take the initiative and be ready to step up when the moment comes. If you don’t make it happen, nobody will! 4. Resilience is essential. There’ll be lots of disappointments on your journey and times when you wonder whether it’s worth it. I can tell you without a doubt, it is. Keep trying, keep pushing. Remember, every obstacle is an opportunity to rise. Each setback is a chance to grow stronger and to learn something new, and every step you take brings you closer to the top of the ladder. 5. When you succeed in life or in your career, celebrate but also acknowledge that you didn’t do it alone. Nobody does! Above all, don’t pull the ladder up after you! Reach out and help others climb.
Career path
Tax Professional Manager (Grade 6)
HM Revenue & Customs
From 07/2024 to 03/2025Customs & Borders Partnerships Lead (Grade 7)
HM Revenue & Customs
From 03/2021 to 06/2024Customs and International Trade (CIT) Consultant (Band SEO)
HM Revenue & Customs
From 10/2020 to 02/2021Company
What do you like about your job and the company?
The work I have done around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion has led me to meet many colleagues who have a similar desire to develop and progress but who face barriers that are difficult to overcome. One of my principal motivations at this stage of my career is both to help those colleagues through coaching and mentoring and to raise awareness of issues faced by disadvantaged groups. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my background, I have been most active in the area of race equality, but I am equally committed to being an ally for people from other minorities.
Greatest achievements
I was the Race Lead for our Wales region at the time of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Leading our response to those events and the feelings that they triggered for colleagues, and later to the Race Disparity Audit, was incredibly challenging but also rewarding. I built awareness of the issues through regular Yammer (now Viva Engage) posts and through presentations, listening events and bringing together internal and external speakers. Although there is much still to be done, it was fantastic to see real progress in our region. I was also able to influence events across HMRC and the wider Civil Service. I was incredibly proud and humbled when my work in this field led to me being nominated by colleagues for an MBE. Receiving that award was a very proud moment for my family, but by far the best thing for me is seeing the success of colleagues whom I have worked with.
Mads B
Compliance Caseworker
Top Insider Advice
Ranjeet .
Top Insider Advice
For me personally life is all about helping others where you can and also about making memories with the people closest to you. Work life balance is key for me and having the ability to work on a variety of activities, being able to collaborate with various stakeholder. Work out what matters most to you in regards to a job role or career. It is important to find a job role which you enjoy doing and is fulfilling as this will keep you motivated. Do not underestimate yourself, if there is a course you wish to do, if you want to change careers completely, just go for it, reach out for support and guidance.
Sandra
Tax Investigator
Top Insider Advice
I've been a Civil Servant for 34 years, starting as an AO in what was DHSS, processing benefit claims. This was a real baptism of fire, dealing with desperate people and desperate situations and exposed me to parts of the population that were a long way from my life. I learned good people skills from this and a real focus on how important good customer service is-doing what you say you will and still having to deliver even when things are difficult or unpopular. This gave me a good grounding for moving onto National Insurance in a compliance role for business and individuals. HMRC merged in 1999 with NI and that was the start of my accidental career. I'm proud to have worked my way up from the bottom as I believe it made me who I am. Whilst no against direct entrance programmes, gaining experience within different grades and roles creates a rounded person.
