Conversations with Mentors - Imo

Frederika recently spoke to Oppidan mentor, Imogen. Have a read of what they spoke about.

Imogen! Welcome to our series of conversations with mentors. I know you have a super interesting job. Can you tell us a bit about that? 

I work for a company called Wiser which is a half recruitment/half creative agency and our purpose is to change the way people think about work.

This means we go into organisations and uncover what makes them unique. We do in depth analysis of the company culture and a lot of this involves speaking to employees. Because of this aspect there’s a real consulting style element within what we do as we use the information from employees to form the strategy that will change the workplace.

What do you enjoy the most about your work?

My job is a Creative Strategist and I form the narrative that underpins the strategy and so my role is the bedrock of any creative aspects that come out of the strategy. I enjoy the story telling aspect of this role because it’s fascinating how we can go into a company that themselves doesn’t fully understand or know who they are and where they are going, and by speaking to their people we can tease out common threads and themes which then allow us to showcase the true company values and ethos to the rest of the company.  

That’s awesome! How did you get to this point and what were you interested in at school?

English Literature was my favourite subject at school and I loved the challenge of writing an essay as it’s all about finding those common themes.

The connection between my love for English Literature at school and what I do now is crazy! My role is all about forming and pitching an argument to a reader which is the same as all the elements of unpicking a novel which is what I loved doing at school. I love that I could turn my passion for writing into a 9-5 job while also doing something that means I don’t have to just live off beans and toast. So don’t be afraid to chase a humanities subject!

I know you are also a passionate Oppidan mentor – why do you mentor?

The first reason is because I’ve grown up in the education world with a father as a Headmaster. Living in boarding schools has taught me that education is such a holistic thing which is more about the things you do outside of the classroom which help you learn and excel within the classroom. The second element is that I have an itch to teach as I love to see people grow. But because I’m in a more corporate setting I’m so lucky to be able to have Oppidan to cultivate that side of my personality more.

Final question – where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I really would like to set up my own company - a consultancy that captures the voice of an organisation. Telling their stories but making sure the story you tell matches the company’s voice. So using the process of what my company but up levelling it!