Cash flow
OS magazine, June 2006
Linda Bird, who works for National Lottery organisers Camelot, tells Cath Janes what it’s like to make millionaires
The chance to turn the world into a better place is one of the reasons why Linda Bird loves working for Camelot. At one of the most talked about organisations in the country, the source of Saturday afternoon newsagent queues and the brains behind our attempts to retire early, she’s in the business of helping dreams to come true.
As PA to Dianne Thompson, the chief executive of the organisation, Linda’s role is one that is as high profile as it is high powered. Following 20 years as the PA to the head of Scottish and Newcastle Pub Enterprises she relocated to London and, thanks to a temping agency, joined Camelot.
“The previous PA had left,” Linda explains, “and I was lucky enough to start working there on the first day of the new year. It meant that I was in a good place to get the permanent position when it arose. It also meant that I had a chance to find out if I would enjoy working with Dianne before I committed to working with her on a full time basis. Luckily we clicked and things went from there.”
Linda admits that this meant that Dianne also had a chance to test drive her new PA. She must have liked what she saw though as Linda has now been her right-hand woman since 2002.
Play away
Camelot, which manages the infrastructure of the National Lottery doesn’t just hand out the cash but it’s also responsible for designing new games, such as Thunderball, Euromillions and a range of scratchcards, as well as marketing its products and running the network that sells tickets through the thousands of outlets across the country. It also does it in partnership with the Government and the National Lottery Commission, generating money for Good Causes which includes arts, charitable, health, environment and heritage projects among others. It means that Linda really is in the thick of things.
“There can be a lot of pressure in this job,” she says, ” but I’d be surprised if that wasn’t the case. You just have to stay calm and have an understanding of how the business works as well as understanding the people that you work for. There is a great culture here, though, which is one of the reasons that this job appealed to me straight away.”
One of the ways that Linda manages her role is by being organised and by working closely with Dianne. She arrives at the office at 8am to make sure that she is ready to start work as soon as Dianne arrives. The early start also means that both her and Dianne can catch up on what they have planned for the day ahead.
Linda explains, “This time is valuable to us. Yes, you can do things over the phone but it can be better to do things personally. We spend a lot of time together during the day too. We see each other between meetings, catch up with each other before we go home and added to that I sit outside her office where her door is always open. It means that we have a great understanding of each other and that I really can give her what she needs.”
All in the planning
At the heart of Linda’s working day, though, is her to-do list or as she calls it “my bible”. Linda is a great believer in making lists and that she keeps hers close throughout the day, updating it as she receives or completes her tasks. Managing Dianne’s diary is also a fundamental aspect of Linda’s role and as in any PA’s roles it takes monster amounts of juggling.
“This is a major task,” she says. “It’s all about understanding the flow of her work and such issues as the geographical location of the meetings she has to attend. I have to make sure that Dianne can get to meetings easily. Of course diary management is also about dealing with lots of different people and because Dianne has to attend so many meetings this makes things particularly busy, not least when appointments have to be moved.”
Linda manages the emails that Dianne receives too, all of which arrive on Linda’s PC so it is up to her to communicate with Dianne and make sure that she is kept abreast of any new information and schedule changes.
But that’s not all. Linda’s role also involves taking dictation from Dianne, because she doesn’t type her own letters, and Dianne doesn’t use a Dictaphone either which means Linda has to be as fast as she is accurate.
“I rely on my shorthand for this job,” Linda explains, “It is a dying skill though not least because so many managers are self sufficient these days. I try to stay updated with all my skills though and I’m lucky that there are plenty of courses available here too.”
It takes two
Linda also believes that it is her relationship with her colleagues that helps her day run smoothly. Not only does she enjoy the organisation’s team spirit but she works hard to understand the needs of the people with whom she is in contact. Linda and Dianne understand how each other works and Linda also stresses the importance of supporting her as much as she can.
“You have to try to remove the stress from them,” she says, “It’s about being flexible and being a self starter which helps to reduce the pressure, something that comes from knowing someone really well.”
That’s one of the reasons why Linda enjoys her work and is looking forward to the tasks that lie ahead. Dianne is currently busy working on the competition for the third lottery license, the bids for which have to be finalised by December. She is also working on a range of projects that support the 2012 Olympics and a new game that is set to be launched in the summer. It means that Linda also has her work cut out. She is not fazed though and agrees that there is nothing about her job that she would change.
“Yes, I have shrieks in me from time to time but I never express them! My role is varied and interesting and that keeps me motivated. There really is nothing that I dislike about my job. The biggest problem is that because I work for Camelot I can’t play the lottery myself. I have to be content with watching other people become rich instead. But we’ve created 1800 millionaires on our time and billions of pounds have been used well too. If you ask me that really is a great way to work.”