A huge congratulations to Emma Porter who recently celebrated her 10-year Long Service milestone.
We caught up with Emma to find out more about her time at OGL so far...
"My ten years at OGL have absolutely flown by. I started as Head of Legal, and spent the first six months based in Stourport, sharing an office with Neil Morris. My career journey has predominantly involved in-house legal work and HR, and I was soon moving offices to Kidderminster, and managing the HR department too. I love the variety and challenge of my role, which also covers compliance, audits and risk, health and safety, working closely with credit control and managing reception.
"The nature of my role means you need to be able to adapt to change and deal with challenges, none more so than during the Covid pandemic when HR teams across the country became the centre of pandemic-generated changes. This involved interpreting Government guidance and regulations, navigating new health and safety requirements, managing furlough leave and working from home, protecting the physical and mental health of our people, and enabling business continuity for our customers, then helping to manage the working environment post-Covid. It was the following year after the pandemic when, from a legal perspective, I was involved in weeks of intensive work with the sale of part of the OGL Group. This brought altogether different challenges, whilst doing my normal job in the day, and legal work for the sale in the evening, often having late night meetings and finishing in the early hours. It is exciting to be part of the new chapter of OGL Software and contribute to its ongoing success, and I’m really looking forward to the next ten years.
Reflecting back, Emma added: “I don’t think Neil Morris ever expected when he interviewed me that I would be taking him as my guest to special events at both Buckingham Palace and Westminster, which was after my involvement in the Thai Cave Rescue in 2018. Behind every rescue is a huge network of fellow volunteers, family, friends and employers, and as a thank you, each volunteer who played a key role was allowed to take an employer representative, as recognition of the immense support that we each received from our employers.”
Emma's manager, Sharon Moreno, commented: "It only seems like yesterday when Emma joined OGL; I vividly remember spending a considerable amount of time with her as she embarked upon her career with us under the guidance of Neil Morris, as we prepared for his retirement and finding his replacement for all things legal. Emma had big boots to fill, and I think you will all agree when I say that she has done a damn good job filling them!
"There have been lots of highlights and some challenges along the way, whether that be a customer dispute, negotiating supplier contracts, working tirelessly to achieve accreditations and of course, all things HR.
"Emma is an absolute stalwart of the business, and nothing is too much trouble; she is our guiding light when it comes to seeking advice on matters requiring her legal expertise, and her passion shines through when involved with people, and to me this is her greatest strength.
"This strength also shines through in her personal life, and we couldn’t be prouder of her amazing achievements in the world of caving and cave rescue, not a hobby for the feint hearted, and her true vocation in life. Her experiences in this world spills into the role that she performs at work, and all of us are extremely grateful for this.
“I would also like to add that she is the Queen of the comma, and when it comes to her reviewing our written communications, she’s a stickler for grammar!!! We all know that a document she has checked will be returned in a much better order than when it was sent to her, and this reflects her passion for representing the business in the best way possible.”
Debbie Barton also wanted to add her personal thanks to Emma:
"Emma, I truly don’t know what we would do without you, your tireless commitment is an unprecedented asset to OGL, and I don’t take it for granted. You protect the company in situations that are necessary to do so, and you protect and support our employees, you really do care about people’s wellbeing, it’s not just your job it’s in your nature to care, and that is evidently why you were given such a huge responsibility with Cave Rescue!
"Thank you for 10 fantastic years with us, and for all the support you have given to me personally and the company.“
Congratulations Emma on your 10 year anniversary and thank you for all your hard work and always going the extra mile!!
