Hi, I'm Tamara
Delivery Manager and Black Experience Advocate, Birmingham
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My journey so far…
I was born and grew up in Dudley in the West Midlands. The area I lived wasn’t very diverse at the time. I found that some of the people I knew could be racist and would have harmful stereotypes about Black people, which made it harder to fit in. I didn’t feel that racism was taken seriously back then, so there was nobody to have those conversations with. Despite these challenges, I also enjoyed a lot of my time at school. My favourite subject was PE, especially running, basketball and netball. I played basketball for the West Bromwich under 18 team and got picked to run a few races for the West Midlands.
After school I went to college to do personal training, but something didn’t feel right. I dropped out to enrol in a government apprenticeship scheme, focusing on operations. Outside of work I studied to become a scrum master, which is someone who oversees the function of the team through mentorship, leadership and coaching. I applied to Deloitte because I was looking for a change and the firm’s global presence appealed to me.
“I’m part of the Black Experience group and we look at the ways we can improve the Black experience for our people. For example, we’re currently putting in place guidance for how people can better prepare themselves for promotion.”
Work that matters
My role involves working with public sector clients, supporting them to manage new and existing projects internally. In our team we help clients to develop more efficient processes so that they can deliver new technologies, systems and services.”. I love that the role is so diverse and I’m always learning. As well as project management I get to identify problems, and work on how to fix them. The communities I work with are fantastic and I enjoy getting to know new people.
I’m part of the Black Experience group across Technology & Transformation, which is the wider area of business where my team sits. Through surveys and working groups, we look at the ways we can improve the Black experience for our people. For example, we’re currently putting in place guidance for how people can better prepare themselves for promotion. It’s our role to make sure people feel listened to, and support them if they are experiencing any bias.
Highlights from my week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I have a team meeting to discuss our priorities for the week. These can change, but we like to get ahead and ensure we’re as proactive as possible. After work I do a gym session. | A key part of my role involves being able to give a snapshot of the progress we’re making at short notice, so much of today is spent speaking with different teams, collecting data and putting together updates. | In addition to my client work I attend the monthly Black experience working group meeting, where we discuss some of the future improvements for our people. We’re currently working on materials to support black colleagues with progression. | I prepare for a meeting with senior clients that’s taking place this afternoon. We then go through what’s going to be delivered and look for any red flags that we might need to address. | We have a final team meeting to identify tasks for the week ahead. I don’t have many meetings on Friday, which gives me an opportunity to work on the new Black Experience initiative for next year, before meeting friends for dinner. |
My weekend looks like
I enjoy going to the gym, especially weightlifting, running and pole fitness. I love being around my friends and we’re often going out to nice bars and restaurants. I’m a big foodie and my favourite cuisines are Caribbean and Chinese food. When I have time off I like to travel. In the past year I’ve been on several trips to Jamaica and explored Dubai.
3 things I've learned
Networking is your power
It’s really important to speak to others across the business, so people know who you are. You never know where opportunities might come from so it’s worth building those connections.
Everyone has imposter syndrome
You only realise it when you start speaking to people, but it’s something everyone struggles with. Never feel that you’re not good enough, just try to focus on developing your strengths.
Embrace your authenticity
As well as helping you to feel more comfortable, being yourself might make others feel like they can relax and be their true selves too. We’re all different for a reason and it helps us to build bonds.
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Tamara's book recommendation
The Complete Works of Florence Shinn
The Complete Works of Florence Shinn includes four titles: The Game of Life and How to Play It; Your Word Is Your Wand; The Secret Door to Success; and The Power of the Spoken Word. Her books focus on the power of manifestation, and I’d recommend them to anyone who wants to change their thought processes and adopt a more positive mindset. There’s lots of interesting theories discussed too.
