Career development
We are committed to developing our people and offering a rewarding career path. All employees have individual personal development plans and are encouraged to incorporate their aspirations and interests into their careers at Ten. Below are just a few of examples of career paths at Ten:
Hannah Benhariz, Lifestyle Manager and Team Leader
I worked for two concierge services before finding my place here at Ten. Due to my previous experience, I joined as a fast-track team leader. The first phase of my career here was taken up with rotating through different departments in the company – that’s the best way to get to know Ten, and how it works.
Next, I became the ‘member chair’ – a unique role within Ten where a member of staff is seconded to be an advocate for members. While in this role I undertook a project to re-evaluate how we performed on car hire jobs, which led to the creation of the role of car hire specialist. My next focus was on job proactivity – implementing new training for lifestyle managers to help them become more proactive in doing everyday jobs for their members and anticipating their needs.
Now I’m heading up our general lifestyle management team – rolling out training, looking at operational challenges and working with corporate clients to ensure that we understand the challenges unique to their organsisations.
I don’t know yet what my next step at Ten will be – with the company growing and evolving so quickly, it’s hard to predict what’s round the corner. Flexibility works well with Ten’s overall vision – there’s no bureaucracy, which is largely due to Alex’s hands-on approach as CEO. Professional development is a matter of having the right attitude and coming up with ideas that work for the members and the business. You’re encouraged to go for it, and that makes Ten a great place to work.
Sally McNair, Associate Director for Service
My first proper job was with Marks and Spencer, where I worked for five years. Having joined their graduate training scheme I eventually found myself in the fresh food buying departments at head office, first in fresh meat and then in fresh vegetables (the glamour!). I then continued my romance with the world of fresh produce by working for a very small produce broker. However, I was looking for a change and wanted a career in an industry that was ‘sexier’ than vegetables.
I applied to be a lifestyle manager at Ten, where I started my career with the entertainment team. I loved recommending exciting places for people to eat out and was involved in writing the first editions of our weekly newsletter. After a short sabbatical travelling in South America, I returned and joined the business development team as an account manager, looking after some of our biggest corporate accounts.
In 2007, wanting to re-engage with Ten’s individual members, I took on the role of operations development manager, focusing on operational process change and a new project called member satisfaction.
I was appointed Associate Director for Service in September 2009, and am now principally responsible for service quality, member satisfaction and training teams. I also continue to work closely with business development on new corporate launches. I will have been with Ten for eight years this October, and I love working here. I have developed my skills within the company and I love the dynamic, exciting and challenging environment.
Sara Nash – Associate Director of Operations, The Key
Before I came to Ten, I completed a four-year management studies degree at Brunel University, spending my placement year working in the marketing department of British Airways. After graduation I became a marketing and PR manager at a small design consultancy in Kent, before becoming a VIP lifestyle manager at Ten.
I felt like I had found my dream job:- a chance to put my organisational skills into practice whilst working in a fast paced, customer facing post. I built up strong relationships with my members and handled a wide variety of tasks for them. No day was ever the same. I worked within the VIP team for 5 years before moving over to join the Key – Ten’s flagship professional support service.
From day one I was heavily involved in setting up The Key, initially as lead support manager responding to the enquiries we received from schools. I then became Operations Manager, which involved recruitment, process development and management of service delivery.
Furthering my development, I have recently been appointed as the Associate Director of Operations. This will see me taking on an even wider remit and ultimate responsibility for the operational management of The Key. It is a fantastic opportunity and I am really looking forward to being involved in the development of new professional services at Ten.
