Employee Profile: Miranda Kirschel
Q. What do you do at Circular1 Health?
A. I’m Business Development Director – although I probably think of myself as Strategic Business Development / External Relations, with BD and Marketing all wrapped up in that context. Along with the Exec Team, I work with clients, partners and other stakeholders to share our message and let people know about the amazing progress we’re making every day. This way, we’re strategically developing our vision, and with the rest of the business, turning it into reality. I’m blessed to have a fabulous little Marketing Team that produce amazing work every day and move the company forward in a visual and tangible way.
Q. What do you love about your job?
A. I learn new things every day, from all parts of the business. Today it was a discussion with our Chief Scientist about false positives and negatives (yes, that one again!), yesterday it was understanding how Google marketing works to amplify messages, and every day it is a conversation with our CEO, Stuart MacLennan, where he says, “I’ve got an idea!”. Every day – true story. His passion and constant development of new ideas is something to behold.
The bit I love the most is the work we’re developing around transforming regional health, where we’re looking at how to democratise health of communities (starting with those closest to our labs – and especially close to my heart is Cumbria, where I live, of course). Our intention is to help improve people’s overall physical and mental health in a way that’s affordable and accessible. I love working with our team, clients, partners and key stakeholders to develop the concepts and identify ways of delivering them.
I do also really enjoy marketing and PR activities – because I’ve always loved writing and being creative – and organising events – I’m energised by bringing people together and building networks and campaigns.
Q. What drove you to work for the business?
A. Meeting Stuart – from the first time I met him (at an IoD North conference that we were both speaking at) where I was blown away by his ingenuity as an entrepreneur. In a region where I was told we lacked innovation, here was a business leader in Cumbria that had the ability to problem solve and keep growing his business.
I got to work with him a little more closely then as a key stakeholder in an Ideas and Innovation Strategy Group, that I managed in my last role at the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Stuart’s drive to promote the county’s attributes (magnificent environment, agriculture, waste, energy, food and drink and hospitality to name but a few of Cumbria’s strengths) and bring them together to create a sustainable circular economy to serve the county, the nation and the international markets, made me want to work with him more closely.
When COVID hit and I saw him rapidly trouble shoot a solution that would keep local businesses going, and turn a startup into a rocketing business, I was doubly impressed.
Q. What are your responsibilities at Circular1 Health?
A. I’m responsible for developing and packaging the strategy and messages on our services today and vision for tomorrow. I straddle working with the Commercial team on how to take our high integrity but competitive Portfolio of Services:
- Corporate COVID-19 Screening Programme,
- Return to Work,
- Travel Testing and other solutions to market.
At the same time I’m working with another project team to develop our Preventative Health Programme. Delivering on our ambition to shift the dial on accessible health for all; where the diagnostic testing with subsequent early care can be a preventative to discovering an issue. To support our healthcare or occupational health system to manage problems once already identified.
Q. Do you have a dream for the business, what would you like to see happen?
A. I’d love to see the business continuing to grow and see all our plans for growing our preventative health service (diagnostic and clinical care) turn into reality.
Part of me loves that the business is an SME – probably because I was so focused on supporting the growth and innovation of SMEs in Cumbria in my last job – but at the same time, it would be amazing to see it grow into one of the big blue chip businesses I’ve worked for in the past – not because revenue’s important, but because big businesses can make a bigger impact.
If you look at the impact that Black Rock’s CEO alone has had on businesses – setting out the bar for businesses at large to consciously improve environmental and social impact, to ensure we have a wonderful world to live in and to leave to our children and grandchildren (I’m paraphrasing massively!!).
This is the kind of impact I see Circular1, Stuart MacLennan and the team being able to affect going forward. That’s where the company’s heart is, and where the true potential of it lies.
