Life @ GreenKite – Luke Appleton

Having spent the last 15 years of my career at two of the UK’s largest insurance companies, the thought of leaving to join a consultancy company in ‘scale up’ was not a decision I took lightly. I spent a lot of time looking into GreenKite, watching their Vlogs and getting a better understanding of their visions for the future. Current staff members were made available to me to contact before I accepted the role and I was free to ask questions and get a real feel for the job I was applying for from others already in that role. GreenKite were confident in their culture, and what they had to offer, not only in the insurance industry but for their staff too, and pretty quickly so was I.

In my first three months, I have been contacted and supported by all GreenKite staff who have been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Karen Stanford (GreenKite COO) was keen to understand my ambitions and how she could offer guidance and support. There is a real feel of an ‘open door’ policy where I feel comfortable picking up the phone to Karen and Sara (CEO). This is worlds away from my experience of the culture of the larger companies I worked for, where getting exposure to senior stakeholders happened rarely. Despite being well known and respected in my departments, the exposure I was able to get outside of these was limited and being heard by the senior leadership team was almost impossible.

Working at GreenKite has allowed me to have a greater work life balance than I have had before. The trust and flexibility the management team at GreenKite have offered me has allowed me to carry on doing the school and nursery runs but also take a bigger role in becoming manager of my stepdaughters’ football team. This flexibility is invaluable to me and my wife. With two daughters it still allows me to be a part of the day-to-day family routine, I attend important school events and can even get to the gym, all with the knowledge that I can organise my own workday and make up my hours when the children are asleep.

Since I started at GreenKite I know the work I am producing is playing a crucial part in the company’s success. This is a massive driver and motivator and one I believe is not just felt by myself but everyone at GreenKite. The team work collaboratively together to ensure each one of us has the support needed to learn and grow. I am confident that I can utilise my strengths whilst also pushing myself outside my comfort zone to develop and be utilised in more areas than just those I have the most experience in. Although this makes my role more complex, I know it will allow GreenKite to utilise me to greater effect in the future. This is also something I am excited about, knowing I am gaining experience in such a broad spectrum of subjects rather than being a subject matter expert in one area.

With three months under my belt, I can happily say I have never been more grateful for such an incredible career opportunity and can’t wait to see and be part of the incredible things I know GreenKite will achieve in the coming years.

To find out more about what Luke has been up to at GreenKite why not watch our latest Vlog Where Luke talks to GreenKite’s Shân Millie about policy admin systems, the number of providers in the market and how to select the best one for your business. 

Watch here