Spotlight on Melody Richards... on returning to Gloucestershire and insurance

June 24, 2022

Meet Melody Richards, Office Manager in our Gloucester office. Melody joined the PIB family when she returned to her hometown, Stroud in Gloucestershire after spending 20 years working and living in London. She finds herself back in insurance following a colourful career in Marketing and PR in the city. Over to you Melody…

Tell us about yourself and why insurance?

I’m Gloucestershire born and raised, so it’s great to be back home and working here after a career that’s taken me to the North of England, France and for the past 20 years I’ve been living and working in London. 

Professionally, I have over 20 years of experience in Office Management and providing PA support, gained mostly in Marketing Communications in central London. I worked for a large global marketing and advertising agency network for 15 years and for the past six years, a PR agency in Westminster. I am new to insurance although my very first work experience whilst still at school was for a major insurance company based in Gloucester, so in a way I feel I’ve come full circle!

What do you do in your current role?

I’m the Office Manager for the Gloucester site and I provide support to the leadership team.

What attracted to you to PIB as a career destination?

I was attracted to PIB Group being a large, successful and rapidly growing business which is client centric and has collaboration at its heart. I was also impressed by the Group featuring in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and Top Track 250 lists in 2020. I really wanted to be part of that growing success.

Best thing about being part of PIB?

Learning about the business and getting to know my colleagues and stakeholders. I love establishing and growing relationships. 

What does collaboration mean to you?

Collaboration means everything to me and was one of the reasons that attracted me to the PIB Group. Treating others with respect, honesty and fairness.  You can achieve so much more as part of a winning team, plus I wanted to work for a business that shares the same core values as I do.  

Best careers advice you’ve been given or would give?

Work hard and remember to be kind. 

Also make sure you keep on learning and growing, use every day as an opportunity to better yourself. PIB Group has a great focus on Learning and Development and encourages professional growth, with a huge bank of resources and information readily available, so I’m looking forward to dipping into this.

How do you relax outside of work?

I’m a country girl at heart so anything outdoorsy. I love walking and hiking and I’m lucky to live in the Cotswolds AONB, so I have rolling hills, ancient beech woods and beautiful medieval yellow limestone villages to explore on my doorstep. I’m also a member of the RHS and it was great to visit Chelsea Flower show last year. The Painswick Rococo Gardens are also on my doorstep and a must visit especially in Spring.   

One thing most people won’t know about you?

I’m half Spanish. So I’d like to think I’m warm, approachable and friendly!  I’m also passionate about family, great food and drink and of course football!

Did you enjoy reading Melody’s story? You can read more about colleagues across PIB Group on our website or explore our career opportunities here.