SPOTLIGHT on…Clare
Name: Clare (often known as ‘Clara’)
Role: Client Success & Product Specialist
How long have you been with the company? Six months on 22nd October!
When have you gone above and beyond for a customer?
I’m just starting to demo to new clients at AwardStage, so haven’t had the chance yet…but I will!
However, prior to joining AwardStage, I worked in law, and my legal specialism was Private Client (wills, probate, trusts, tax etc). An elderly lady had, unfortunately, lost her husband, and she didn’t even know what a cheque book was (this was going back a few years, admittedly!). Her husband had previously managed everything, so she was completely lost. So, I used to go to her house every Tuesday lunchtime for a cup of tea, and talk through how to deal with the electric company, what was a direct debit and a standing order, how to call the bank…and, more importantly, chat and be a friend. I did this for six months, every week, pro bono. She needed a hug.
Hobbies and passions: Oooh, cricket, cricket, cricket (Essex and England). Mind you, I love sport in general. A mighty ‘Os’ fan (someone has to be), plus Napoli and Málaga (for my sins). And rugby (league and union), and F1, and… (it goes on and on).
Fun facts:
- I was training to be a solicitor in my former days, after I discovered that being an art researcher didn’t really pay the bills.
- I was once asked to score cricket for England Women.
- I spent seven years living in Spain.
- My grandfather survived the sinking of the Titanic!
Favourite books, movies, or TV shows:
I don’t own a TV and am not a film buff. In my opinion, TV rots the brain, and I need no assistance with that! Reading, I love though. Wuthering Heights, and anything by Evelyn Waugh, PG Wodehouse, Tom Sharpe, and Bill Bryson.
I’m more a podcast sort of lass. I’m currently listening to “We Have Ways of Making You Talk” and slowly realising that, the more I learn about the Second World War, the less I know. It’s like peeling an onion…
Ultimate meal: Spanish-cooked duck is THE best, with Pedro Ximénez sauce.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given: My legal mentor gave me lots of advice, but one that’s always rung true is to anticipate a worst-case scenario, well in advance.
Favourite quote: I’ve recently understood the meaning of “it is better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all”. Time, however, is not a great healer – it just takes the edge off.
But, thinking about it, perhaps “speak softly and carry a big stick”…