After three years as School Operations Manager, I’m leaving SEED at the end of this month.  I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few words as I leave my role. Working within SEED has been a genuinely meaningful chapter in my career — one filled with collaboration, positive challenges, and importantly, the opportunity to learn and grow. 

The breadth of activity across SEED Operations — from Health and Safety and Estates to governance, academic and administrative processes, management information, communications, people and financial processes and everything in between — has made this role uniquely rewarding. It has been a privilege to be part of a dedicated wide-ranging community of colleagues, all endeavouring to help SEED perform at its best. I want to extend heartfelt thanks to all the colleagues I've worked with - the relationships we have built have meant a great deal to me. 

I’m particularly proud of the innovation and ambition shown within SEED Operations during my time here. Whether through the use of digital tools such as MS365 Forms and Power Automate to improve efficiency, or through the creative, courageous thinking from the team to refine process, influence improvement and make our SEED ways of working better; it has been inspiring to see how much positive change can be achieved when we experiment and collaborate. 

A significant part of my role has been representing SEED Operations across the University. I have genuinely valued working with fellow School Operations Managers, Faculty colleagues and central teams to champion greater consistency, share learning and support collective business improvement. I think sharing our best practices and reaching across boundaries will be invaluable as we collectively work as “one University” and I’m proud to have played a part in building these connections.  

I am also extremely grateful to have developed during this period as a leader through the collaborative relationships I have developed as a member of SEED’s School Executive and the training and development I have received through SEED’s Professional Services Leadership Team; these experiences have truly shaped my awareness of who I am today and who I aspire to become. 

I am now leaving SEED to undertake a two-year secondment and I will also be welcoming a baby in June — so there is lots of change ahead! I look forward to staying in touch with you all and returning in the future with new experiences and learning. 

It has been a privilege, 

Lucy