Our people

I graduated from The University of Nottingham with a BSc Hons in Human Genetics and feeling as though I could conquer the world. I did not know exactly what I wanted to go into but had always enjoyed data analytics, presenting and thinking strategically. 

After previously working for various types of companies including a big financial services company and another leading law firm, I joined Clifford Chance in April 2017 as a procurement manager and was promoted six months later to senior procurement manager. I am the global procurement lead for the non-IT categories which includes facilities and operations, HR, marketing, and professional services and I act as a strategic advisor for our third-party spend and engagements. 

The recruitment process 

The recruitment process was quite quick compared to most. I applied for the position at Clifford Chance via LinkedIn and was soon invited to a phone interview with the procurement director. This was followed by two face-to-face interviews. The first was competency based with the procurement director and another procurement manager and the second was a general interview with some potential key stakeholders.

Life at Clifford Chance 

I was attracted to Clifford Chance because it is one of the leading global law firms and its principles really stood out to me. The Procurement team in particular was undergoing some exciting transformations and I wanted to further challenge myself by leading a team of people and positively contribute to this change. The world of procurement is one that has to be ahead of the game to truly make an impact and Clifford Chance definitely supports this mission. 

No day is the same. I can go from a planning meeting on a refurbishment to negotiating a deal for e-discovery solutions to procuring film services in one day. It's the variety of projects and pace of change that keeps me at the firm. 

What makes us different? 

The three things that distinguish us are the people, as there is a real sense of "one firm" here, the firm's appetite to continuously improve and career development opportunities. 

The people 

My team is my favourite aspect of my job. We have savings targets and are often very busy, but working with the diverse and creative group of people I do, makes it all the more exciting. 

My advice 

I would advise someone considering working for Clifford Chance and wanting to make a positive impact to be prepared to challenge themselves both career wise and personally. Clifford Chance has many networks and provides the support for you to make the most of this.