60 Seconds with Emma Whitlock

What is your role?

I am the Business Development Manager here at the UK head office in Dunstable. I manage a team of 4 great sales representatives and we are responsible for taking on sales calls and emails and visiting prospective clients from across the country. We aim to provide the best possible quotes for training and certification in order to remain competitive in the market and provide an excellent and personal service.

We also deal first hand with customers by managing the ‘chat’ function on the NQA website. 

Most memorable moment at work?

I have only been in my role for 7 months and recently attended my first large exhibition. I was on the stand at the Health & Safety Event at the NEC where I had the chance to meet a massive variation of people from the H&S sector and discuss the new ISO 45001:2018 standard with visitors looking for certification and training. I was extremely nervous to begin with but our Occupational Health & Safety Principal Assessor and our Business Development Manager were on hand with technical support and weree excellent at engaging with visitors and put me at ease with their vast knowledge. 

By the end of the show I'd actually realised how much I knew about our products and services and felt like I'd achieved something. It was definitely a first for me and I’m looking forward to attending more in the future.

Favourite things about working for NQA?

My favourite thing about working for NQA is the variation of the work that comes every day. Due to the fact that NQA offer such a large range of certification options and training courses, along with the fact that our clients and potential clients companies are all slightly different, no day is ever the same.

Beaause I have only been here for a short time it means that I am constantly learning about the way NQA works and what our customers expect from us. I enjoy getting to dive into the nitty gritty in so many different types of organisations and the requirements that they need to meet in order to provide an efficient service to their customers. 
 
I also really enjoy all the development opportunities that NQA offer its staff. I have been on a number of training courses and taken different exams so that I feel confident within my role and have improved my knowledge and confidence in a very short space of time. This is something I haven’t experienced in previous organisations.

Top tip for people looking at certification?

My top tip would be to look at getting a consultant on board if you’re looking to apply for certification.

lthough NQA cannot provide you with information on how to make the most of your management systems we can put you in touch with a number of professional consultants who can help you make sure that you are compliant and ready for your audits. I find that many of our clients who currently use a consultant find that the stress of knowing whether they will pass or fail is gone. It helps them to be totally prepared and that’s never a bad thing!

How might you be able to help our readers?

In my role I am able to help current clients transition to newer standard versions or give new potential customers the information they need quickly to help them start their certification journey with NQA.

I am here to help with any queries or questions and will do my best to make sure that I build and maintain the best relationships for a mutualy beneficial business partnership.