Name: Ellie Warren
Business: Optimity
Job title: Purchase ledge clerk
Website: www.optimity.co.uk
Ellie Warren left school in 2010 with seven GCSEs and little idea of what to do with her future. She enrolled at college to study for a BTEC but after finishing it she was unemployed.
She started looking for work but all she could find was a part-time job in retail paying minimum wage. Two hundred job applications, five interviews and more than five months of struggling to survive – she found Optimity. The first six months were a massive learning curve and she went through some tough times. Having never worked in an office she didn’t know how to behave, she struggled with time-keeping, lacked confidence and would get emotional when faced with constructive criticism.
Gradually, with the support of her manager, her confidence grew and she became more determined. A reflection of these changes that she was undergoing professionally came when she was voted employee of the month by her colleagues.
Ellie finished her apprenticeship and when the role of purchase ledger clerk became available she put herself forward. This was the start of an exciting chapter in her career. She now runs the purchase ledger, taking responsibility for dealing with suppliers, which involves payments of around £3m per year. Ellie plans to study for her professional exams over the next five years and become a fully qualified accountant.
To the 200 companies who rejected Ellie’s job applications, she would like to quote Pretty Woman – “big mistake”.
Nominated by Anthony Impey, managing partner at Optimity.
