In a nutshell, what does Bold New World (BNW) offer?
As a bespoke online recruitment company, our aim is to provide an umbrella site for returners, rethinkers, rebalancers and retirers. We offer candidates a range of trusted paid and voluntary opportunities on our website. Plus we offer loads of advice from CVs to Interviews and run extensive Reskilling Tech, Social Media, Leadership and Communication Programmes.
Run me through your typical working day.
I get up at 6.30am, earlier if we are running a Re-skilling Programme, check my list for the day, chug loads of black coffee, run to the gym and go through my emails. I also check whatever the alarming news stories are for the day (currently coronavirus), all whilst on the static bike. I then go home, shower and scoot to The AllBright Club in Maddox Street (which is my office) where I drink even more black coffee. Here I’ll meet candidates, clients, our ambassadors or just work for the day in my own world. The club is wonderful, the staff are super efficient and just let me bury myself in my computer for as long as I need throughout the day.
I’ll meet a friend for a cup of tea or drink on the way home and hopefully go out for dinner with friends. All computers are off, but the only way I can get to sleep is to write rather embarrassingly detailed colour coded lists for the next day. My children think I am very weird. I then sleep like a baby ready to repeat the whole thing the next day.
What is your biggest weakness and how do you overcome it?
I have so many weaknesses it’s difficult to know where to begin. Probably the most significant one is not prioritising tasks properly and spending time on things that actually don’t matter. For example a minor tech glitch not working the way it should, which actually doesn’t affect anything but I know could be better or, and this is fatal, designing graphics for job advertisements. I spend far too much time making these look wonderful when I possibly should be doing something else.
Katharine wears our Waterloo dress in Navy, £198 (right)
What’s the worst piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Actually I don’t think I’ve ever received any really bad advice: I’ve received some hilarious and rather rude advice when I worked on the trading floor at Salomon Brothers, but that was the 1990s and even then was unprintable!
What’s the one piece of career advice you would give your 20-year-old self?
If you have an idea, record yourself describing it. Play it back to yourself, then rejig and re-record it until you get used to describing it to yourself and you believe in what you have said. Now you are ready.
Who do you look to for professional guidance?
Women returners every time. They are gold bullion for employers, they have a wonderful ethos. They have a wonderful ethos and without them I would never have started BNW.
Otherwise, I turn to my friends who are all wonderful, positive and irreplaceable. And of course there’s my brilliant, funny, opinionated and wonderful family from whom I get a large amount of stick, most of it completely deserved!
What is your go-to workwear style?
Having been a city girl in the 1990s, I still like to look smart and wear a suit or a dress. My main problem is my curly hair so keeping that away from rain is a priority.
Katharine wears our Trafalgar coat in Navy, £119 (left)
What is your favourite LIBBY outfit at the moment?
The Trafalgar coat in Navy is my absolute tops right now. I just love its close tailoring.
Tell me about your worst office fashion faux pas?
Back in the 1990s, girls wore bodystockings under their suits that were like a T-shirt with poppers between your legs. One morning, in a hurry, I forgot to do the poppers up, commuted to work and walked across the trading floor several times not realising the back of it was flapping out of my skirt. The entire floor stood up and clapped.
What keeps you busy when you’re not in the office?
My naughty, delicious children.
Have you mastered a good work-life balance?
Definitely!
Katharine wears our Waterloo dress in Navy, £198 (right)
Photography: Bekky Lonsdale
Interview: Lilli Brant
Accessories: Katharine's own
Location: Katharine's home in London
