Welcome, tell us a bit about yourself...
Foodie, caffeine addict, great at making an espresso martini. I’m originally from Essex, but moved to the midlands for ‘1-2’ years for a job… 8 years later I’m still here. Much of my career has been focused on growth; I’ve got a varied background across roles in business development, consultancy and securing funding to launch and scale new projects.
What are you looking forward to about being part of the Loomery team?
It’s an amazing time to join - the business is at a great point, whereby it’s super-ambitious in its direction, with an established, really skilled team. Being in a growth role means you’re at the forefront of this, and with the role being a new one in the organisation, no one has written the playbook on what to do - and I love that.
Have you been learning anything cool outside of your discipline?
So much of the modern way of working means you’re attached to some sort of device for a lot of the day. A few years ago I realised that sometimes it’s nice to detach myself from this and do something more manual and creative. I got into woodwork a few years ago making furniture, and have dabbled ever since. It’s entirely self-taught, so I'm not sure how much ‘learning’ there is - maybe more try, try, and try again…
What's your favourite tool or app most people haven't heard of?
This might lean into the favourite, rather than the unheard of, part of the question but I’d pick Vivino. As a wine drinker with minimal knowledge of what it is I like about what I’m drinking, sometimes it’s nice to scan a bottle to get some more info and build up a better picture of my tastes. Being able to purchase through the app is a great, albeit dangerous, feature to have.
Recommend one podcast or book
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (co-founder of Nike) is up there with one of my favourites - I enjoyed the slightly tongue in cheek way it was written, leaning into the story behind the lessons, as much as what you can take away from the experiences. Everyone sees the Nike of today, but getting insight into how this came about is great.
Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here!
