Meet Wood Mackenzie's sales apprentices

Recent graduates Millie Ramsell, Anna Pritchard, Harry Cusden and Emily Hopper joined WoodMac in 2021 through our partner Pareto Law. Alongside work, they each study towards a level 4 sales qualification.

We asked them to record their experience of corporate life so far. What role do they play in the sales team? What has it been like getting back into the office? And what skills have they developed as account associates?

Our four new joiners answer questions on managing an apprenticeship, entering the world of sales and the opportunities available for graduates at WoodMac.

What role do you play in the sales team?

Millie:
I sit in the metals and mining long-tail team. This is a new team, formed from our integration with Roskill.

Anna:
I am part of the short-term oil and gas team at Wood Mackenzie. I largely work with clients and prospects across EMEARC and Asia, interested in high frequency, real time data.

Harry:
This year I have joined the chemicals sales team. I sit within long tail account management, covering Europe and North & South America. I also support the commercial development team.

In my role, I am responsible for supporting the current business needs and future goals of clients, helping them with their Wood Mackenzie market intelligence and research subscriptions. I also work to identify clients’ needs and grow client accounts by adding subscriptions to their packages.

Emily:
I also sit in the metals and mining long-tail team. I really enjoy being part of this team, it's a great place to start to enhance my sales skills and get more experience with clients.

Many of us at Wood Mackenzie have started to return to the office. How have you found working in person?

Millie:
I’ve really enjoyed coming back in the office so I can learn from some of the more senior account managers by listening to their calls and asking questions easily. I also love the social side to coming into the office and forming relationships with colleagues.

Anna:
I joined Wood Mackenzie remotely in May, and although this was a very positive experience, I had every intention of getting into the office as soon as soon as local restrictions permitted. Being in the office has allowed me to continue building relationships with colleagues, both professionally and socially, as well as facilitating conversations with new colleagues, including those in other Verisk business units.

Harry:
Initially, having started my role working from home, I found most of my colleague engagement was limited to my business unit. However, after returning to the office earlier this year, I’ve been able to meet and learn from a variety of colleagues across all units along with other companies under the Verisk family. I’ve truly benefitted from working in an office environment and so far, it has been a very positive experience.

Emily:
It's been great. Our new London office, 22 Bishopsgate, is amazing. It's good to be able to mix it up between office and home. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my colleagues, everyone is so welcoming. Also, it's been useful to be able to pop over to a colleague’s desk and ask for help.

Which skills can you develop most as an account associate at Wood Mackenzie?

Millie:
I have developed my professional conduct during the last six months in the role. I feel more confident speaking to clients in a range of roles and conduct myself in a professional way.

Anna:
During my time at Wood Mackenzie, I've developed my communication skills greatly, navigating a new client and colleague base, both remotely and in person. I also think listening is such an integral skill to continue developing. So far, this has allowed me to expand my industry and market knowledge rapidly by joining client calls, knowledge shares and market events and, as a result, participate more in both internal and external conversations.

Harry:
Since joining WoodMac, my sales skillset and knowledge of the industry has developed tremendously. In particular, I have further developed my time management skills by embedding Eisenhower’s Matrix into my work style to help the prioritisation of tasks. Additionally, the exposure of speaking to key players within the chemical markets has helped me to understand the dynamics of the markets and the impact they have on wider society.

Emily:
I think time management has been a key skill I've developed with having to balance Pareto apprenticeship and my job role. Also understanding and using sales techniques, I'm finding learning on the job has really increased the rate of my learning.

How do you balance your work and studies?

Millie:
I have found it challenging at times balancing my apprenticeship with my day-to-day roles, but have lots of support from my manager and my peers who are also taking part in the apprenticeship. We help and encourage each other.

Anna:
I try to manage my time effectively to juggle both my daily role and sales apprenticeship. I prefer to dedicate a chunk of time to our qualification, once a week, to fully get immersed in the content and complete relevant tasks in one go. It has also been great having the other graduates for additional support, to ask questions and discuss ideas with regarding both our roles and apprenticeship.

Harry:
To balance my work and studies, I utilise the 80/20 rule. 80% of my time a week is focused on my role and responsibilities within WoodMac and 20% is focused on my development. This includes studying for my Sales Level 4 Executive qualification alongside additional content to develop my sales skills and industry knowledge.

Emily:
I try to block out a chunk of time a week dedicated to my studies; some weeks are harder than others to get the balance right.

What excites you about your next year with the Wood Mackenzie sales team?

Millie:
I’m looking forward to developing my sector knowledge. I’m learning something new about the industry every day and look forward to becoming more confident the more exposure I have.

Anna:
I’m excited to hone my sales skills, learning the fundamentals in our apprenticeship, picking up tips from colleagues and putting teachings into practice with a range of clients both virtually and, hopefully, in person soon.

Harry:
There’s a lot of excitement to look forward to. I’m most looking forward to meeting clients in person and having that face-to-face element of work returning. Additionally, I’m excited to see how the chemicals industry is going to develop and respond over the next few months, particularly in light of the recently hosted COP26.

Emily:
I'm excited about working with my Q1 and Q2 clients developing my sales skills further. As well as finishing my Pareto training, hopefully by beginning of summer next year.

Interested in our apprenticeships? Read Meet Wood Mackenzie's marketing apprentices for more.