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We’re proud to announce the promotion of Colette Benn to the director of MLAS.
- Dec 9, 2020
- Latest News
Have a read of her interview below.
Job title? Director
Briefly, what does your job entail? I am responsible for developing the business strategy & commercial performance of MLAS. I also work closely with the leadership team to ensure we are delivering operational excellence, expert business growth and timely and effective marketing activity.
What do you like best about MLAS? The people I work with, working collaboratively with them and the business growth potential. It’s an exciting business to be part of and my role offers a great deal of variety. Everyone understands what we are aiming for and continually go above and beyond to try achieve it. I love the team’s focus and work ethic, we definitely work together in a culture of trust and empowerment.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I am excited about my new position as director and what I will learn in the coming years. I guess I am keen to become the best at what I do and progress to the next level. There is no rush though as I have a lot to accomplish in my current role, so I will be kept very busy!
How long have you worked with MLAS and how did you join? I have worked for MLAS since June 2019, I joined after seeing an advert for the role of head of operations. The role combined my previous experience and knowledge in the insurance claims arena and legal industry. I felt that the role was a great opportunity to join a growing business and I knew I would be able to add value from an operational perspective.
What would you tell your younger self? I would probably say slow down and focus on ‘quality as opposed to quantity’. In my very early career, I concentrated on getting through the most work I could to produce high levels of productivity. That just resulted in errors and omissions because I was working at speed. I learnt quickly that re-work/duplication of effort was not the right way to go about things. Through experience, I know that ‘the devil is in the detail’. Nowadays I am much more detailed in my overall approach to work and whilst getting things right the first time may take a little more time, it ultimately adds more value. This is definitely something I encourage and advocate with the teams I work with because it’s more fulfilling, more efficient and a more cost-effective way to work.
What do you like to do outside of work? In pre-covid times, it would definitely be spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy eating out, especially sampling the delights of Indian food, it’s my favourite. Other than that I enjoy exercising, be that the gym, going for a morning run or spending time on a weekend going for a walk in the Yorkshire Dales, then stopping for lunch in a nice pub somewhere.
Fun fact about yourself? It wasn’t much fun at the time but I was at a Christmas party a few years ago and there was a very random cartwheeling competition so I decided to demonstrate my skills. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well. The next day I was in A&E….with 2 broken ribs and a bruised ego!!
