Reflecting on 2019, with 2020 vision.

As we recover from celebrating the dawning of a new year, many of us are taking the time to review the decade that was.

For me, as I sit on holiday with my husband and my sleeping child (finally) I feel the tension of a hugely fulfilling, fast-paced year slowly ease from my body and appreciate being exhausted for all the right reasons.

Despite having a challenging origin story (a tale for another time) I am one of life’s realistic optimists. In my younger years, the story I would tell myself was “everyone gets dealt a certain amount of suffering in their life and the fact I’m dealing with this now, means I am going to have it easier in my later years”; I think that’s called hope (or naivety).

As we know, life doesn’t quite work that way. This decade has challenged me in some incredibly painful ways. I came to realise life will always be a mixed bag of great and painful experiences; you can either chose to let the bad make you bitter, or you can learn from those times and focus your attention on the amazing moments in life that give you a reason to get up each morning.

This year gave me some of the best moments of my life and I have ended this decade full of happiness, pride and battle scars. I am extremely grateful for everything that 2019 bought…

Becoming a working mum

The highlight of my year was the arrival of my beautiful baby boy, Daniel. The experience of helping this tiny little human learn and grow is extraordinary. Becoming a parent has taught me so much and, interestingly, made me a better businesswoman.

Watching him tackle each new challenge in his life (the current one is trying to stand on his own two feet….literally, with a lot of falling over) with a fearless determination is inspiring; reminding me of what you can do when you trust your instincts and have the grit to just keep going.

My time has suddenly become even more precious; forcing me to be present in every moment (whether with Daniel or working on the business) and making sure I am focusing my attention in all the right areas.

There is now a set of loving, little eyes constantly looking to me for guidance and inspiration, giving me additional motivation to consistently be the best version of myself.

Darren Pearson your support enables me to achieve my goals, thank you so much!

Valrose continues to grow

I opened Valrose with one purpose in mind – to improve the perception of recruiters globally.

Some of my favourite feedback for the work the Valrose team has done this year…

“I think her company Valrose is a disrupter. If you want someone who thinks differently. From my experience she is the best recruiter I have engaged…I think one conversation and you'll realise why she and her company are different.”

“I would like to also say that it has been a genuine pleasure to work with all of you. Yourself and Zeynep have changed the way I view recruiters and you do this practise the way it should be done."

“She embodied honesty, integrity and transparency, which is quite rare in her line of work.”

“Having dealt with numerous recruitment consultants in the past and not had great experiences, Leighanne has restored my faith in agencies, making me feel like an individual rather than just another number looking for a job. She is an expert in her field and is a credit to Valrose.”

Our positive reputation throughout the Perth tech community is something the whole Valrose team is proud of. I am confident we will continue to raise the bar of service excellence in our industry. Leighanne Garvey, Zeynep Terzi and Peter Beshay thank you for your hard work and being true champions of Valrose and everything we stand for!

A key highlight for Valrose in 2019 was the launch of our Exclusive Partner Program. We selected 3 clients who are committed to building a positive culture and ensuring an elite candidate experience in their recruitment process, with resounding success. Better Choice, BNK Bank and Colleagues Matrixx, we are looking forward to being continued part of your success in 2020.

We will be adding 5 more clients to our Exclusive Partner Program in 2020. If you are curious to know if your company is eligible for this program, contact me at tina.ambrose@valrose.com.au.

Being a diversity champion

When Lacey and Pia asked me to join the newly formed communications sub-committee for WiTWA at the beginning of this year my first thought was “they know I’m not in marketing right?” followed by “quick, say yes before they realise”.

WiTWA have achieved so much in the name of inspiring and enabling local women and young girls to see what is possible when we push boundaries, suspend self-bias and equip ourselves with STEM skills:

·      One sold out WiTWA [+] 2019 Conference

·      One WiTWA Tech [+] Awards

·      Multiple TechXchange and Boardroom series throughout the year

·      Launch of our mini-mentor scheme

·      54% increase in our followers this year

·      Our motto “if you can see her, you can be her” went far and wide, with #seeherbeher having an estimated reach of over 107,000

·      Media coverage across the likes of Channel 10, Business News, Hit 92.9, WA Today, Sydney Herald

I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible women as part of the WiTWA committee, with special mention to those who contributed to the comms team in 2019 Gry Stene, Aparna Burke, Donna Edwards, Christina Marie Giuffre, Diana Adorno and Rebel Boylan. I am extremely proud of what we have managed to achieve this year and have loved working closely with each of you! ❤

If you are wondering how you, or your company, can get involved click here 👉🏽 WiTWA

2020

I have goosebumps anticipating the opportunities of the year ahead! For me, 2020 is symbolic of a clear vision and I am coming into this year with confidence and vitality.

Bring it on!

#recruitment #perth #diversity #seeherbeher #witwa #gratitude #newyear