Caroline Bedford's guest appearances

Caroline Bedford

IT Career Energizer

100 Women in Insurance

OwlTail

What is intrapreneurship, and how can it help you or your employees to promote innovation within your organisation? What is the value of generalist skills and knowledge when considering executive positions? Why is it so important to establish a personal brand and network prior to leaving the corporate environment to pursue your own industry ambitions? In this episode, we’re thrilled to be speaking with Caroline Bedford, Chief Executive at EDII! With a background in the technology sector, Caroline undertook a career in insurance, working in various exciting roles before departing the corporate world to build her own business. In conversation with Sandra Lewin, she highlights the key values underpinning good leadership, emphasising the importance of promoting innovation at every level of a business in order to sustain growth and talent retention.   Quote of the Episode “With the intrapreneurial roles, you know, it's in company's interest to be able to cultivate those kinds of passions and capabilities in their staff, and to really nurture that. I don't see any specific job applications from organisations seeking to employ an ‘intrapreneur’. However, I do now see that in terms of people's development programmes, creativity, authenticity, curiosity. Those types of mindset and behaviours are now being welcomed, and expected in many cases. Those are all attributes that people who work for organisations can also share with entrepreneurs who, who work for themselves and take the risks that are associated with that.” Intrapreneurship refers to the application of entrepreneurial skills to promote growth within one’s organisation. Caroline asserts that developing these skills is a key way of building up your reputation within your organisation, thereby establishing valuable connections which you will retain if and when you move elsewhere. Furthermore, she argues that fostering these skills within one’s employees can facilitate talent retention. A key demographic of talented employees who leave the insurance sector every year is women in their 30s-40s. Caroline argues that this is fuelled by companies failing to allow these employees to creatively innovate in order to solve real problems. It is crucial to invest in your staff at all levels and ages, and give them an outlet with which to apply their unique skills, thereby achieving personal growth and developing the business simultaneously.   Key Takeaways Caroline highlights the value of generalist knowledge at all levels of the insurance industry. Upon leaving school, she joined the technology sector, and ultimately chose insurance to practice that specialism. Consequently, she brought a wealth of external knowledge and skills to the industry that has fuelled her individual growth and that of the firms she has worked for. Additionally, she notes that having external skills and expertise provides an excellent foundation for entering executive positions. Today’s CEO requires an understanding of the broader business environment in which they are operating, with generalist capabilities ranging from business development, operations, strategy, deliverables, product development, and more. For Caroline, as a business owner it is crucial to prioritise one’s staff above all else. A key tenet of leadership is the capacity to motivate and inspire people even when the chips are down; to work through challenges and frustrations whilst recognising that you are ultimately responsible for the livelihoods of your team. Caroline recalls ‘Don’t wait till you need a network to build one’ as the best piece of advice she has ever received. You need connections, especially when transitioning from one role to another, or from a corporate environment to your own business, who can support you and verify your credibility. Before departing the comfort zone of the corporate world, it is crucial to establish your personal brand. Many of your industry connections will likely be a product of the brand with which you are affiliated. Once this recognisable credibility is gone, many of these connections could be severed. As such, you must invest in your individual brand in addition to that afforded by your corporate employment. It is ultimately the value others see in your personal name that will secure you future opportunities or investment. LinkedIn can be a fantastic tool for building a community and demonstrating the unique value you can bring to a business, or the industry at large. However, it must be approached as a two-way street. You shouldn’t simply put information about your personal triumphs out there; you must also engage in what your connections are doing, and participate appropriately in conversations and debates. In using this platform in a consistent, engaged, and authentic manner, people will soon recognise your individual value, which will be instrumental in developing your personal brand.   Best Moments/Key Quotes That's a great thing about insurance – there are lots and lots of opportunities. You don't just find yourself in an organisation and stuck in the role that you joined in. If you exhibit talent, passion, and skill, and capability, then there will be opportunities there for you. Throughout my career, I have worked for technology companies, I have worked for insurers. And I was part of the acquisition team when DXC was acquiring Xchanging a few years ago.”   “One of my specialist passions is the rise of the generalist. This is something that's really helped propel me through my career. Once I recognised the value that comes with having those generalist capabilities, it kind of freed me from some of the sort of anchors that held me back in the past where I felt that to be able to succeed, you needed to have deep specialisms in one specific area. Since I did research and have started to really take, ironically, a deep dive into the role of the generalist, that kind of led me to understand firstly, the type of capabilities that everybody in industry needs now is no longer just that vertical career path, but also the horizontal. It also stood me in good stead for the role of a CEO.”   “People will often engage you because of that big name, [but] if you wish to then go out on your own, you have lost that Golden Shield that is going to make people gravitate towards you. So even when you work for that big name, it's important that people see you as Caroline or Sandra, or whoever you may be.”   Resources Caroline Bedford – Fifty Over Fifty: https://fiftyoverfifty.org.uk/list/caroline-bedford-edii/ The Rise of the Generalist: Caroline Bedford speaks at The Women In Tech Conference 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftAmGzKmj3s&amp;ab_channel=EDIIGroup   About the Guest Caroline Bedford is the Chief Executive of EDII, home of Digital Minds, helping insurance and business professionals understand how innovation, design and entrepreneurship can help to futureproof their work. Caroline’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-bedford-a0225212/   About the Host Sandra Lewin started her career in insurance as a broker and has since taken on many different roles. Alongside being a host of this podcast "100 Women in Insurance", she also specializes in helping insurance businesses and professionals establish a social media presence, delivers change programs, and provides one-on-one coaching for women looking to take control of their careers and lives. Connect with Sandra on LinkedIn and find out more: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sandralewin

What is intrapreneurship, and how can it help you or your employees to promote innovation within your organisation? What is the value of generalist skills and knowledge when considering executive positions? Why is it so important to establish a personal brand and network prior to leaving the corporate environment to pursue your own industry ambitions? In this episode, we’re thrilled to be speaking with Caroline Bedford, Chief Executive at EDII! With a background in the technology sector, Caroline undertook a career in insurance, working in various exciting roles before departing the corporate world to build her own business. In conversation with Sandra Lewin, she highlights the key values underpinning good leadership, emphasising the importance of promoting innovation at every level of a business in order to sustain growth and talent retention. Quote of the Episode “With the intrapreneurial roles, you know, it's in company's interest to be able to cultivate those kinds of passions and capabilities in their staff, and to really nurture that. I don't see any specific job applications from organisations seeking to employ an ‘intrapreneur’. However, I do now see that in terms of people's development programmes, creativity, authenticity, curiosity. Those types of mindset and behaviours are now being welcomed, and expected in many cases. Those are all attributes that people who work for organisations can also share with entrepreneurs who, who work for themselves and take the risks that are associated with that.” Intrapreneurship refers to the application of entrepreneurial skills to promote growth within one’s organisation. Caroline asserts that developing these skills is a key way of building up your reputation within your organisation, thereby establishing valuable connections which you will retain if and when you move elsewhere. Furthermore, she argues that fostering these skills within one’s employees can facilitate talent retention. A key demographic of talented employees who leave the insurance sector every year is women in their 30s-40s. Caroline argues that this is fuelled by companies failing to allow these employees to creatively innovate in order to solve real problems. It is crucial to invest in your staff at all levels and ages, and give them an outlet with which to apply their unique skills, thereby achieving personal growth and developing the business simultaneously. Key Takeaways Caroline highlights the value of generalist knowledge at all levels of the insurance industry. Upon leaving school, she joined the technology sector, and ultimately chose insurance to practice that specialism. Consequently, she brought a wealth of external knowledge and skills to the industry that has fuelled her individual growth and that of the firms she has worked for. Additionally, she notes that having external skills and expertise provides an excellent foundation for entering executive positions. Today’s CEO requires an understanding of the broader business environment in which they are operating, with generalist capabilities ranging from business development, operations, strategy, deliverables, product development, and more. For Caroline, as a business owner it is crucial to prioritise one’s staff above all else. A key tenet of leadership is the capacity to motivate and inspire people even when the chips are down; to work through challenges and frustrations whilst recognising that you are ultimately responsible for the livelihoods of your team. Caroline recalls ‘Don’t wait till you need a network to build one’ as the best piece of advice she has ever received. You need connections, especially when transitioning from one role to another, or from a corporate environment to your own business, who can support you and verify your credibility. Before departing the comfort zone of the corporate world, it is crucial to establish your personal brand. Many of your industry connections will likely be a product of the brand with which you are affiliated. Once this recognisable credibility is gone, many of these connections could be severed. As such, you must invest in your individual brand in addition to that afforded by your corporate employment. It is ultimately the value others see in your personal name that will secure you future opportunities or investment. LinkedIn can be a fantastic tool for building a community and demonstrating the unique value you can bring to a business, or the industry at large. However, it must be approached as a two-way street. You shouldn’t simply put information about your personal triumphs out there; you must also engage in what your connections are doing, and participate appropriately in conversations and debates. In using this platform in a consistent, engaged, and authentic manner, people will soon recognise your individual value, which will be instrumental in developing your personal brand. Best Moments/Key Quotes That's a great thing about insurance – there are lots and lots of opportunities. You don't just find yourself in an organisation and stuck in the role that you joined in. If you exhibit talent, passion, and skill, and capability, then there will be opportunities there for you. Throughout my career, I have worked for technology companies, I have worked for insurers. And I was part of the acquisition team when DXC was acquiring Xchanging a few years ago.” “One of my specialist passions is the rise of the generalist. This is something that's really helped propel me through my career. Once I recognised the value that comes with having those generalist capabilities, it kind of freed me from some of the sort of anchors that held me back in the past where I felt that to be able to succeed, you needed to have deep specialisms in one specific area. Since I did research and have started to really take, ironically, a deep dive into the role of the generalist, that kind of led me to understand firstly, the type of capabilities that everybody in industry needs now is no longer just that vertical career path, but also the horizontal. It also stood me in good stead for the role of a CEO.” “People will often engage you because of that big name, [but] if you wish to then go out on your own, you have lost that Golden Shield that is going to make people gravitate towards you. So even when you work for that big name, it's important that people see you as Caroline or Sandra, or whoever you may be.” Resources Caroline Bedford – Fifty Over Fifty: <a href="https://fiftyoverfifty.org.uk/list/caroline-bedford-edii/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://fiftyoverfifty.org.uk/list/caroline-bedford-edii/</a> The Rise of the Generalist: Caroline Bedford speaks at The Women In Tech Conference 2022: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftAmGzKmj3s&amp;ab_channel=EDIIGroup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftAmGzKmj3s&amp;ab_channel=EDIIGroup</a> About the Guest Caroline Bedford is the Chief Executive of EDII, home of Digital Minds, helping insurance and business professionals understand how innovation, design and entrepreneurship can help to futureproof their work. Caroline’s LinkedIn Profile: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-bedford-a0225212/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-bedford-a0225212/</a> About the Host Sandra Lewin started her career in insurance as a broker and has since taken on many different roles. Alongside being a host of this podcast "100 Women in Insurance", she also specializes in helping insurance businesses and professionals establish a social media presence, delivers change programs, and provides one-on-one coaching for women looking to take control of their careers and lives. Connect with Sandra on LinkedIn and find out more: <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sandralewin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sandralewin</a>

003: 100 Women in Insurance: The Value of Establishing Your Personal Brand with Caroline Bedford

 In this week’s show, Phil talks to Caroline Bedford, the founder and creator of Digital Minds, an award-winning innovation programme. Her forte is embedding design thinking, future-focused skills and a creative mindset within traditional roles in the insurance and corporate tech worlds.  Using her 30+ years of technology and specialty insurance experience, she brings to life discovery, ideation, innovation and cultural change within insurance organisations. She focuses her passion on developing career longevity and digital confidence across all ages and levels. And capability and curiosity in business practitioners of all roles.  She has a deep-seated belief that to future-proof your career, an ever-agile Generalist approach to support industry and customer needs is the key to happy staff, happy leaders and happy clients  Caroline talks to Phil about the value we can find in being as prepared as possible. She also discusses why it’s wise to accept opportunities when they arise and think about how to action them later.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP: We often find ourselves in situations that with a little thought, we may have been able to predict. The key to success is to be as prepared as possible for as many eventualities as possible.   WORST CAREER MOMENT While working for a company, Caroline realized that she did not believe in the company itself or their product. This grated against her values, and proved that being congruent with your company’s mission is vital.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT The day that EDII was incorporated was one of the biggest moments in Caroline’s career. Starting out on her own was life-changing.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Diversity and inclusion in IT is becoming far more widespread, allowing for a greater wealth of talent and skill sets to enter the sector.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – It was a challenge What’s the best career advice you received? – Don’t wait until you need a network to build one. What’s the worst career advice you received? – You’ve started so you have to finish What would you do if you started your career now? – Caroline would delve deep into psychological behavior combined with human and technology. What are your current career objectives? – To create a model and seek partners globally. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being able to raise great questions, improve energy and respect others How do you keep your own career energized? – Perpetual learning What do you do away from technology? – Caroline is a huge fan of science fiction.   FINAL CAREER TIP If someone offers you an opportunity, always make sure you say yes first and then figure out how to do it later.   BEST MOMENTS (10:31) – Caroline – “You can’t be inclusive by being exclusive” (12:24) – Caroline - “Practice your spontaneity” (13:30) – Caroline – “We need to make mistakes in order to learn” (15:10)– Caroline – “An interview is an opportunity for you to find out if they are a good fit for you”   ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS  Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations to design, develop, and implement software solutions.  Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers.  And in 2017 Phil started the I.T. Career Energizer podcast to try to help as many people as possible to learn from the career advice and experiences of those that have been, and still are, on that same career journey.   CONTACT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS Phil can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/_philburgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess Website: https://itcareerenergizer.com/contact Phil is also reachable by email at phil@itcareerenergizer.com and via the podcast’s website, https://itcareerenergizer.com Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer   ABOUT THE GUEST – CAROLINE BEDFORD  Caroline Bedford is the founder and creator of Digital Minds, an award-winning innovation programme. Her forte is embedding design thinking, future-focused skills and a creative mindset within traditional roles in the insurance and corporate tech worlds.  Using her 30+ years of technology and specialty insurance experience, she brings to life discovery, ideation, innovation and cultural change within insurance organisations. She focuses her passion on developing career longevity and digital confidence across all ages and levels. And capability and curiosity in business practitioners of all roles.  She has a deep-seated belief that to future-proof your career, an ever-agile Generalist approach to support industry and customer needs is the key to happy staff, happy leaders and happy clients CONTACT THE GUEST – CAROLINE BEDFORD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-bedford-a0225212/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bedfordcj Website: https://edii.group/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Caroline Bedford, the founder and creator of Digital Minds, an award-winning innovation programme. Her forte is embedding design thinking, future-focused skills and a creative mindset within traditional roles in the insurance and corporate tech worlds. Using her 30+ years of technology and specialty insurance experience, she brings to life discovery, ideation, innovation and cultural change within insurance organisations. She focuses her passion on developing career longevity and digital confidence across all ages and levels. And capability and curiosity in business practitioners of all roles. She has a deep-seated belief that to future-proof your career, an ever-agile Generalist approach to support industry and customer needs is the key to happy staff, happy leaders and happy clients Caroline talks to Phil about the value we can find in being as prepared as possible. She also discusses why it’s wise to accept opportunities when they arise and think about how to action them later. KEY TAKEAWAYS: TOP CAREER TIP: We often find ourselves in situations that with a little thought, we may have been able to predict. The key to success is to be as prepared as possible for as many eventualities as possible. WORST CAREER MOMENT While working for a company, Caroline realized that she did not believe in the company itself or their product. This grated against her values, and proved that being congruent with your company’s mission is vital. CAREER HIGHLIGHT The day that EDII was incorporated was one of the biggest moments in Caroline’s career. Starting out on her own was life-changing. THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Diversity and inclusion in IT is becoming far more widespread, allowing for a greater wealth of talent and skill sets to enter the sector. THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – It was a challenge What’s the best career advice you received? – Don’t wait until you need a network to build one. What’s the worst career advice you received? – You’ve started so you have to finish What would you do if you started your career now? – Caroline would delve deep into psychological behavior combined with human and technology. What are your current career objectives? – To create a model and seek partners globally. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being able to raise great questions, improve energy and respect others How do you keep your own career energized? – Perpetual learning What do you do away from technology? – Caroline is a huge fan of science fiction. FINAL CAREER TIP If someone offers you an opportunity, always make sure you say yes first and then figure out how to do it later. BEST MOMENTS (10:31) – Caroline – “You can’t be inclusive by being exclusive” (12:24) – Caroline - “Practice your spontaneity” (13:30) – Caroline – “We need to make mistakes in order to learn” (15:10)– Caroline – “An interview is an opportunity for you to find out if they are a good fit for you” ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS  Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations to design, develop, and implement software solutions.  Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers.  And in 2017 Phil started the I.T. Career Energizer podcast to try to help as many people as possible to learn from the career advice and experiences of those that have been, and still are, on that same career journey. CONTACT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS Phil can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/_philburgess" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/_philburgess</a> LinkedIn: <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess</a> Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/_philburgess" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/_philburgess</a> Website: <a href="https://itcareerenergizer.com/contact" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://itcareerenergizer.com/contact</a> Phil is also reachable by email at <a href="mailto:phil@itcareerenergizer.com">phil@itcareerenergizer.com</a> and via the podcast’s website, <a href="https://itcareerenergizer.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://itcareerenergizer.com</a> Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer</a> ABOUT THE GUEST – CAROLINE BEDFORD Caroline Bedford is the founder and creator of Digital Minds, an award-winning innovation programme. Her forte is embedding design thinking, future-focused skills and a creative mindset within traditional roles in the insurance and corporate tech worlds. Using her 30+ years of technology and specialty insurance experience, she brings to life discovery, ideation, innovation and cultural change within insurance organisations. She focuses her passion on developing career longevity and digital confidence across all ages and levels. And capability and curiosity in business practitioners of all roles. She has a deep-seated belief that to future-proof your career, an ever-agile Generalist approach to support industry and customer needs is the key to happy staff, happy leaders and happy clients CONTACT THE GUEST – CAROLINE BEDFORD LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-bedford-a0225212/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-bedford-a0225212/</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bedfordcj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bedfordcj</a> Website: <a href="https://edii.group/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://edii.group/</a>