Employee Profile Piece: Mary Ballard
Q. What do you do at Circular1 Health?
A. I work in operations and as part of the Operational Leadership Team.
At one point, I would have said “everything”, hence being described at work as an “all-rounder” because when I joined Circular1 around a year and 5 months ago, there was only 7 of us in the company; I supported in multiple roles as the business grew, covering account management, operations, customer service, logistics, PR and finance.
Now, Circular1 Health employs over 250 people, with laboratories all over the country supporting clients from Scotland to Portsmouth, together we’ve been on an amazing journey.
Q. What do you love about your job?
A. Helping ensure we deliver great services our clients expect and also supporting our laboratories.
I like being challenged with finding the best solution, allowing me to get my thinking cap on; there is a lot of teamwork involved which is great as I am quite a people’s person. I just love seeing things be implemented, and as a fan of lists, and striking them off (paper and digitally), it is very rewarding. Plus it’s great to see the difference it makes for our clients, customers, and colleagues.
I also love that I can do my job while being a parent of 2 with one of them having autism (though parent of 3 if I count our dog). My work life has that flexibility and it is not limiting. I feel that I get to make a difference to my children’s future and the world they are living in.
Q. What drove you to work for the business?
A. I met our CEO Stuart MacLennan around 4 and half years ago and he struck me as someone I would love to work with as we had similar goals and ethos.
In a nutshell we want to help solve problems and make a difference in the world.
When he told me about Circular1 and then about Circular1 Health, and the opportunity to join, I was so excited and knew this was a place I could utilise all my skills, grow and carry out that ethos of caring and making a difference.
Especially with Covid-19, it makes you want to do something about it.
I feel so fortunate to be able to help and see the difference Circular1 Health has made in protecting workforces and enabling them to continue vital projects that otherwise would not happen.
Q. What are your responsibilities at Circular1 Health?
A.“Making sure things happen” by working in and with the operations team in overseeing operations and its implementation.
Supporting all departments with their operational needs and making sure specific areas are on target and run smoothly.
I am also continuing to support a number of clients directly that I have looked after from the inception of Circular1 Health.
Having built relationships with these clients I want to ensure they get what they need for their employees and customers.
Q. Do you have a dream for the business, what would you like to see happen?
A. To continue what we have been doing and build on that, to help more with preventative testing and other forms of testing.
To continue being on the forefront, supporting companies with both the physical and mental health of their employees.
We have garnered so much experience and so many learnings through this epidemic, so it would be wonderful to be able to use it to help in the long term and on a global scale as well.
