People insight stories

Victoria Russell

I first joined MONY Group via an agency as a short-term solution after being made redundant. I quickly fell in love with the company and got offered the chance to become CeMAP qualified as part of a newly formed in-house Mortgage Advice team. It wasn’t something I had ever considered but embraced the opportunity to learn something new.

From there I moved into Finance, then into Commercial. This is where it changed for me. My children were both in full time school, and it was time for me to focus on my career and what I wanted to achieve. Through hard work, support from the business, and managers and colleagues who have inspired me, I have been fortunate to progress on a career path I’ve loved, taking me into my current role today as General Manager for the Money vertical

I’ve actually worked at MONY Group twice! When I left to go on maternity after having my first child, I decided to set up my own mortgage business rather than return back to full time employment – not the greatest idea when 12 months on the mortgage markets collapsed.

So, second time round, and I’ve just hit my 15-year service – and received £1000 (thanks MONY Group).

Be your own person and don’t feel obliged to follow the crowds. As an adult you become more true to yourself. Also, worry less and be more present in the moment – as someone who likes to always be in control, this is something I still work on today.

Finally, as a mum of two teenagers, I would tell my younger self to tidy her room more often!

Now we’re out of lockdown, I’m office based 5 days a week – it allows me to better separate and support my work life balance. The Commercial teams tend to work the same two days in the office, so it’s great to have that social aspect, ability to chat through ideas or ask questions over the desks – although we can get a little loud at times!

And I don’t have my snoring Pug making obscene noises in the background when in meetings or on calls - he became quite (in)famous when I was working from home!

I have a phobia of cotton wool… even writing the sentence has given me shivers and made my teeth clench!

Victoria Russell

General Manager