The courage in saying goodbye...

To my friends and colleagues,

please spare me 2 mins to read my short goodbye note. I will be signing off end December, however sending this before the holiday season commences. If you would like to catch up before I go I will be on line still for the next few weeks. With a combination of sadness and reflection I’m here to say goodbye after a wonderful 20 years at Shell. To you all – thank you for your contribution to my career. I have had opportunity to travel the world, building a network of amazing professionals and friends. I hope that we can keep in touch. From the thrill of leading the Women in IT network in the UK, founded by Laila and Laura and sponsored by Maggie; the sense of achievement when I got my dream role as Helpdesk Manager (then to be outsourced – but what great experience that was), to the value I felt I could bring when designing our Retail Site Systems IT strategy working with Gavin, really influencing how our Fuel stations operate. I could go on. I hope that the next stage in my life brings such diverse opportunities and global reach. I hear so many people say Shell has changed – I don’t agree – you are all amazing individuals, Shell is not some anonymous beast and with you all still in seat it will continue to be a company that values its employees, continues to be one of the best fuels retailers in the world and has a competitive IT ecosystem. In the short term, if you would like to follow my path, please sign up to www.thecareermum.co.uk or follow me on facebook @thecareermum.co.uk. I will continue the discussion on the value of gender diversity, why mentoring is so important, how to encourage more girls in to STEM, amongst others. I’m already building an army of followers and empowering others to empower women. I am planning another public speaking event at the House of Lords in Q1 2018, if interested send me your details and I will ensure you get an invite. In the longer term, I will be taking up new employment opportunities – if you have something nice to say, I would really appreciate a recommendation on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/amandanewman1. If you would like to help with my memories or share any photos that you have, please share them with me and I will be making myself a keepsake book! I hope to leave a legacy, having led an implementation for a Global Mentoring Scheme for all our Women in India, now sponsored by Arun & to be launched in Q1 2018 and currently designing the outline for a maternity toolkit for all Shell Line Managers and staff in the UK, to be progressed in to 2018 by UK HR. Good luck to you all & please keep in touch, Best wishes Amanda@thecareermum.co.uk