08 Mar “Spotlight” on Lisa Taylor
To mark the importance of International Women’s Day we want to use this great platform to shine a light on one of MiCiM’s key female players; Lisa Taylor. Lisa has forged herself a successful career in such a male dominated industry and is such a valued, hardworking professional member of the MiCiM team. She has recently accepted a new challenge; changing positions within the company moving from Project Management to Commercial Management. Read her thoughts below as we delve a little deeper into Lisa’s career;
Tell us a bit about your career and what you’re bringing to your role:
I started in the Data Centre Industry in 2010 working for a small boutique date centre / server room design and build company, wearing many hats simultaneously (Operations Director/Project Manager/Account Manager). When the business owners decided to close up shop I went to work for a large M&E Contractor which gave me the leap into the large data centre world and after 2 years with them I joined MiCiM, initially as a Project Manager but now wearing a brand new ‘Commercial Manager’ hat.
You have had a long and a highly pressurised career – what would you say are the key strengths you bring to a team?
Tenacity for me, is the main one with a sunny disposition close second. You need to keep pushing people unfortunately so I gain a reputation of being a bit of a Yorkshire Terrier and drive everyone mad!
What are the main challenges in the Mission Critical sector?
Keeping all the plates spinning and everyone happy (the client most importantly).
What kind of skills does one need to have to enable a career in the Mission Critical sector that spans for 9/10 years?
Getting on with all types of people so excellent communication. Being able to prioritise when there are so many activities to be completed. Ability to quickly gain an understanding of how different facilities work so you can develop systems and processes to ensure key tasks / functions are not missed.
Over the course of your career, what would you say was your most challenging project?
All projects come with their own challenges so it is difficult to pick just one. Working away from home for the first time was most challenging from a personal perspective but sometimes the projects closer to home involve a heavier workload. Working for MiCiM means we have variety so it is very much a case of swings and roundabouts.
Are there any skill/formulae/tech you learned in your formative years you still utilise today?
Learning Excel way back in the day is the key resource I use day in day out. I love it when a new spreadsheet is required. This enables me to use my creative side which there is not much room for in my role.
As you are always heavily involved in the final push to complete a project, what are your coping mechanisms to deal with the pressurised environment you live in?
Breathing! When things get tense you just need to breathe and take some time to recoup yourself and definitely making sure you have some downtime when you get home so you are ready to come back the next day reenergised.
What is it that you enjoy about working with the MiCiM team?
MiCiM have an incredible culture that comes right from the top. I am sure I speak on behalf of all of my colleagues that we all feel very much a valued part of the company/team. We know our Directors’ number one priority is the wellbeing of their staff. This in turn means we all want to give 110% back.
After a busy working week, what do you do in your down time?
I like being in nature so long walks and pottering in my garden in the Summer months but I also have a secret side to me that does a bit of painting and studies Astrology.
