Gail Rajjayabun
Your job in less than a minute
“My passion is seeing people grow and I am lucky to do this every day at David Allen. I work with our people across all service lines and at all levels. My main role is to ensure our employees are thriving at David Allen and that we are helping them to build knowledge and develop skills. This involves working closely with our teams, from running and developing training workshops to supporting all our staff develop and progress within their roles. Our people and their development are key to ensuring that we continue to deliver inspiring customer care by doing a fantastic job for our clients and making their lives easier.”
What is your connection to Cumbria?
“I moved to Carlisle at the end of 2018 to be closer to family. I worked at Carlisle College and joined David Allen in December last year. I love all that Cumbria has to offer: stunning scenery, amazing places to eat and drink, diverse business communities and easy access to Scotland and the North East.”
Why join the Chamber’s board of directors?
“The Chamber has a vital role to play in our business community and I hope that my diverse skill set (financial and people development) will be a valuable contribution to the board and help the continued success of the Chamber. The board is made up of some very talented people and I am excited to be working with them. It is a great way for me to be able to give back to the community.”
What is your stand out/best quality when working?
“I am told that I very approachable and easy to talk to, whilst being enthusiastic. I like to make people feel at ease and want to bring the best out in everyone.”
What is your biggest career highlight to date?
“That is a tricky question as each part of my careers is a highlight on its own. Taking a moment to reflect on this, I think it must be passing my chartered accountancy exams and more recently becoming a fellow of the ICAEW. Whilst I loved all the practical work experience that happened during my training, the exams were more of a challenge. My dad had a word “stickability” and that is what I needed to get through them. I worked hard balancing full-time work and study as I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. My hard work paid off and my qualification has served me well. I have never looked back.”
A fun fact
“When I am not at work, I love running. I am a member of DH Runners and recently qualified through England Athletics to be a Run Leader. I only took running up in 2016 but it is a great way to clear your head after a busy day at work. I started with a couch to 5k programme and was quite content to stay at that level. However, the running bug caught up and this year I ran the London marathon and completed the Lakeland 50!”
© Cumbria Chamber of Commerce