To coincide with Carers Rights Day, we interviewed Allyson Mulvihill, Senior Commercial Manager, Southern Region about her role, career background and how she balances her caring responsibilities with the demands of her role.
Allyson participated in the Network Rail’s targeted female recruitment campaign in the Southern Region which has been launched to inspire more women to join the rail industry. Within Network Rail, we want to be recruiting from the widest possible pool of talent and showcase colleagues who are currently in those roles to inspire others to apply for them.
Thank you so much Allyson for taking some time out to be interviewed by Women in Transport. Can you tell me a little bit about your career background?
Of course. My career background is such a mix. I used to worry that my CV was ‘all over the place’ but I have now reframed it in my mind and see it as a reflection of all my rounded experience with many transferable skills obtained over the years.
I’m now onto my third professional chapter. I started my career in HR in the exciting and demanding world of Investment Banking. I then took some time away to run my own business from home for 13 years, this allowed me the flexibility to raise my family. As my family became more independent, and I was able to work away from the home for longer hours and have less school runs to contend with, I had a 3-year period working within the Care industry, first as a Carer to the elderly and then as a Care Manager. This gave me a huge respect for all Carers’ and the difficulties they face on a daily basis.
I am now on my final career change and work in Commercial Management in the ‘fast moving’ world of Rail. I absolutely love my current role and when I was asked to participate in this recruitment campaign to inspire more women to join the industry, I jumped at the chance!
As it is Carers Rights Day, please can you tell us a little bit about your caring responsibilities and why this day is important to you?
I am very lucky that I do not have any current caring responsibilities, my children are now all older, so simply need me for clean laundry and money! However, I joined the leadership team of the Care Network due to my previous experience of the care industry. I see all of the Carers’ on the leadership team and how they manage to juggle their full time job with the full time role of being a sole carer, which is no easy feat! This day is extremely important to me as it raises awareness of carers’ rights and helps them to gain the support that they require to make their busy lives easier and to obtain support from their line managers and peers. This is essential in their ability to remain in the job they enjoy and financially rely upon. We also need to promote the importance of Carer wellbeing by taking time out and having support from those around them.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your role within the Network Rail, Southern Region?
I started my career journey within Network Rail at the start of Covid which was a bit daunting. I was tasked with approving and reporting on all Covid related costs. This was a great role to come into as it gave me an insight into the whole of the Southern Region. This experience is something, I am extremely grateful for.
When this role naturally finished, I moved into a Commercial Manager role within the Maintenance area. I was extremely lucky as I received huge support and training from my managers which gave me the grounding and experience and 2 years later to be promoted into my current role as a Senior Commercial Manager, working for the Sussex Route.
My role is exciting and fast moving, supporting the Delivery Unit’s with contractual requirements, and assessing contract performance to achieve best value for money. I now have a great team of 3 to support the Sussex Route.
This all sounds so interesting. Can you please tell our readers what skills you need to become a Commercial Manager?
The skills we look for in a Commercial Manager are business partnering, stakeholder engagement, analysis of spend and an understanding of how to achieve the best value for money. The technical skills can be taught but the soft skills are essential, good people skills for example. An interest in contract law and standard suite of public company contracts would be very beneficial.
What piece of advice would you give to anyone wanting to apply to apply for a role like yours?
Entering as an Assistant Commercial Manager is a great way to learn and develop these key commercial skills and I would recommend your readers to do just this. I have undertaken my CIPS qualification (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) and I would definitely recommend this course to gain insight into the world of commercial and procurement. Career progression within Network Rail is extremely good, the route within my are would be from Assistant Commercial Manager, to Commercial Manager to Senior Commercial Manager.
What would you say is a career highlight for you?
I love how my role is extremely varied each day, by assisting my Business Partners and adding value to their operational needs. I love how purposeful and meaningful my job is. The most satisfying thing for me is when we achieve the increased performance from an existing contract, often by increasing communication and working closely with the stakeholders and suppliers. Gaining monetary efficiencies is a huge win for the team!
Is it difficult to balance your caring responsibilities and a demanding job like yours?
Network Rail allow my family life and work balance to be great. They are a very supportive organisation for those with external responsibilities and have a number of employee network groups to offer support if required. I am currently the Southern region lead for our Carers Network and take this responsibility very seriously.
What interests do you have outside of work?
My interests outside of work are as mixed as my career!
Horse riding, Scuba diving more recently in Egypt, running, and sewing, I love to make dresses, now have more than I could ever wear. My last holiday with friends was walking 100+ km of the Amalfi Coastline over 10 days in 30-degree heat!
As you can see, a mixture as much as my career!
At Network Rail, we are committed to creating work environments that are diverse, inclusive, and ultimately safe for our colleagues and for our passengers. We’re working hard to become an organisation that’s at the forefront of gender equality across the rail industry. As part of this commitment, we have launched a targeted female recruitment campaign within the Southern region, so we can attract, develop and retain females and create a pipeline of diverse talent in the rail industry. If you would like to find out more and would like to apply to any of our vacancies, please click here.
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