Karen Brown

What did you do before you joined Deltatre?

I am Jamaican, I moved here in 2002. I grew up in St Ann’s Bay which is by the seaside and then I spent the first part of my working life in the tourism industry. I worked with the Sandals group and other major brands in the Caribbean.

During my time there, I met and worked with quite a lot of Europeans. This somehow resulted in me taking a keen interest in learning more about Europe as a whole.

I also had family in the UK which sparked my curiosity further. I visited in London in 2002 and enjoyed it so I decided to extend my stay here and 16 years later, here we are.

Why did you join Deltatre?

Working with sports was key for me and also the fact that it was based in Wimbledon. I'd worked for years in central London and I wanted to be somewhere quieter.

The role fitted well with what I’d done before – I came in as a Facilities Manager / P.A. and then as the company grew, the role got busier.

The roles were then separated into stand alone parts. When this happened, I had to decide which role I was going to go with which was difficult because I enjoyed both, but in the end, I decided to go down the facilities route.

What does your work entail?

I manage the secretary and premises side of things within the UK offices, and I also manage my colleagues in an administrative role in Mumbai and Singapore.

Can you walk us through a ‘standard’ day in your life?

My day doesn’t really have a start time because when managing premises, you need to be on call 24 hours sometimes. I’m also responsible for health and safety, the general supplies in the building, as well as ensuring everyone has what they need and everything is in good working order.

What stand-out memories do you have?

On a personal level, my favourite memory was getting to go to the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony with colleagues. It was amazing and, to me, that was the ultimate event in my world of sport. There was nothing quite like it.

What's the social side like?

I’ve organised the company parties and internal events for the past eight years. We also have a social board which I'm a part of and we encourage team members from different areas of the business so we have a very balanced and informed view when it comes to age groups, areas, and interests.

The board organises a number of events including charity football matches, go-karting, mini golf, bowling, and after-work drinks.

We also do a monthly session called Wash Up, where we run through what’s happened or what’s happening in the business. There’s also a Praise section to recognise colleagues. We have nibbles and drinks – and often end up in the pub afterwards!

In the London Tramlink office, there’s also a pool table which gets utilised a lot during breaks!

What have been your biggest learnings?

Be open to change so you can move at the pace the business is moving at!

What’s your favourite part of working with Deltatre?

My favourite part is job satisfaction, I like making sure everything works and everyone feels supported. It’s a very collaborative working environment, everyone's happy and my colleagues are the reason I come into work. There’s a great team spirit and everyone’s just really nice and friendly.

Why should people join us?

They’ll be able to work across a number of exciting projects with global opportunities. Also, they’ll be able to work in a very friendly and respectable environment.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I enjoy travelling, family time and watching sports – especially athletics and football.