At Electrum, career growth opportunities don’t stop when you become a manager. Ferdi Immelman, our Head of TechOps, has just been appointed director as part of Electrum’s always-on, ever-evolving career development plan. Here’s the thinking behind it.
We’ve heard it from interns, team members, partners and customers: There aren’t many companies like Electrum. We believe a reason for this is the emphasis we put on helping our team level up in their careers, no matter what stage they’re at.
Recently, our leadership team introduced a rotating directorship as a way to encourage further career development for more senior team members, with Ferdinand Immelman – or Ferdi, as we all call him – accepting the challenge of being our trailblazer.
From the start, he’s had a vital role to play, and as our current Technical Operations Manager, he carries many big responsibilities. Not only is he in charge of Electrum’s cybersecurity and compliance requirements, but also our cloud-computing operations and support function.
…at Electrum, there’s always more to learn, and new ways to grow…
With so much experience heading up these important aspects of the business, you might wonder what else Ferdi has to learn. At Electrum, however, we believe that there’s always new ways to grow.
Becoming a director means being trusted with making decisions, and seeing them through. “For Electrum, that’s a big thing,” our COO, Karin Hunter, shares. “I haven’t come across rotating directorships elsewhere, but it makes sense for us, because as the company grows, we’ll need a larger leadership team, and we need those leaders to feel confident to contribute and make decisions at the highest level. The rotating directorship spans two years, which means it’s long enough to see the effect of those decisions, which opens up entirely new opportunities for learning.”
…the best way to help build someone up is to create the space for them, and then allow them to fill it…
That sense of confidence is something that is fostered from day one for every Electrolyte: We believe that the best way to help build someone up is to create the space for them, and then allow them to fill it, while offering support through initiatives like our Electrum Personal Leadership Programme (E-PLP), regular cross-functional mentor time, and specific job role training.
“…a great opportunity for more autonomy”
While Ferdi has been with Electrum for nearly five years, and experienced what it’s like to lead a team, just how daunting is it to take on a directorship? “It doesn’t scare me,” says Ferdi. “Electrum is on a positive growth path, and I believe in the vision for the future of the business. Sure, the stakes are higher but that just means I have a great opportunity to be more autonomous, and through that, more personally invested.”
If you’re interested in joining a team that’s as invested in developing your career as you are, check out our open roles here!
