John Wilson

I’ve been at NFU Mutual four and a half years now. After developing my career down the specialist route of learning, development and talent management, I was working in a similar role for a manufacturing company before I started. While the job itself was good, spending five hours a day commuting from the Midlands to Crewe started to take its toll – on me and my social life.

To be completely honest, before I joined NFU Mutual I didn’t know a lot about them. It was the role itself that really interested me. Of course, I did plenty of research before I applied. Their strong ethos, values and customer focus immediately appealed to me. But it was only when I first drove down Tiddington Road and saw their stunning Head Office that I began to understand the size and expanse of the organisation. It was truly impressive. And I’ve never looked back.

The position I initially started in has grown and developed into an even better role. When I arrived, we didn’t have a trainee scheme. Now we launch one a year. The business has responded really well and it’s great to develop talent right from the beginning of a career. The other part of my role involves leading a team of specialists who champion management skills and coach managers within the business. We see everybody as talented. As managers, it’s our job to pinpoint these talents and develop them. Lots of people put a lot of effort into advancing their careers here and part of my role is to match their talents with the needs of the business.

The alignment between me, my approach and the organisation’s values and intentions is very close. I have a lot of influence in my role and I work very closely with senior managers. That’s another great thing. Even people right at the top of the business are very accessible. So whether you have a new idea or need some input, they’re on hand.

Another thing that’s kept me happy for all these years is the security of the organisation. We’re very strong. As is our business model. While other companies have suffered during the difficult recession years, we’ve withstood the rigours of what’s going on outside and continued to grow. It’s a fantastic place to work and truly my ideal job. And, it’s genuine. My only low point was not winning ‘NFU Mutual’s Got Talent’. I lost to the overall winner. I’m over it now, kind of.