In this Team TPS spotlight, we have Georgina who is one of our Directors and also very importantly, owner of Brian the dog who can often be spotted in the office!
Find out more about Georgina and her varied role at TPS…
What is your role at TPS and how long have you been here?
I recently celebrated my 10-year anniversary at TPS (which makes me feel pretty old!). I have been a Director for the last 4 years and head up the Development Planning team, as well as delivering some of our key strategic sustainable transport projects. When I started there were four of us and I was the most junior member of staff; we are now a team of 15, so my role has evolved massively. Despite now having a focus on business development and management I still enjoy being actively involved in project work.
What do you get up to on a typical day at work?
My workload is pretty varied, so no two days are the same; a typical day involves a lot of juggling! I have a number of ongoing University projects, which can be challenging and interesting in equal measure, as well as being involved in a range of development-related projects. I am also the custodian of Brian the office dog, so when he is in I can regularly be found trying to tire him out with a stick in the local park ahead of Teams meetings!
Tell us something that your connections might be interested to know about you?
I am an honorary Yorkshire country bumpkin having grown up in the dizzy heights of suburban Northampton, before moving to Leeds for University and staying ‘up here’ for good. I have lived in North and West Yorkshire previously, but am now settled in rural South Yorkshire. My southern accent remains a cause for constant mockery by my Yorkshire born-and-bred husband, children and colleagues!
What’s your favourite thing to have worked on in the last month?
I have been working on a new Travel Plan for Kingston University for the past year, and in early July it was signed off by the Senior Leadership Team (having been previously through the Net Zero Carbon Group and Estate Committee), which feels like a great achievement as its the culmination of lots of hard work. In developing the Travel Plan, I was personally involved in campus audits, delivering a travel survey with staff and students and a number of workshops with representatives from across the University. We have received some really positive client feedback, which is always a bonus!
How do you wind down out of work?
Not sure my husband would agree it’s a way to wind down, but I love a house ‘project’ and am always planning which room in our home we should decorate next. I follow a ridiculous number of house renovation projects on social media, could lose days to Pinterest and have recently binge watched the BBC’s ‘Interior Design Masters’.
In our breaks from decorating projects, I am a big fan of a walk with Brian the dog and whichever of our 5 kids can be bribed to tag along, with a drink and some scampi fries at a pub en route. I also love to travel, I am usually a sun-worshipper, but I visited Iceland last year and it’s probably my favourite trip so far.