The secret lives of the people behind the Delineo brand.
As part of our series of interviews with staff members, Vanessa Kemmer, Workflow Manager, takes to the couch and tells us about her career and life both inside and outside of Delineo.
Vanessa, for those who don’t know what a ‘Workflow Manager’ is, can you describe your role at Delineo?
I am responsible for planning and coordinating all the work through the creative and digital departments. This includes managing the day-to-day workflow, overseeing jobs to make sure they are on track, on time and on budget and liaising with the account management team. A lot of my job incorporates managing expectations, meeting deadlines and ensuring efficiencies.
How long have you been with us?
Two years.
What are the challenges in your role?
To get all the jobs completed on time and within budget. Everyone who visits my desk considers their job to be the most urgent. I have to prioritise and do lots of juggling to make sure we hit the deadlines. Often when I come in, the day has been carefully planned and then I have to change everything around.
How will your role develop as we grow?
I hope to build a team and expand the services we can offer within the agency with specialists for the different areas of the business.
When you’re not here, under the arches, how do you like to spend your time?
I love to travel. I am from Brazil but I love living in Europe with all the interesting places here on my doorstep. I have just been to Barcelona for the second time and I think it is my new favourite place. I hope to do more travel around Spain, but unfortunately my native language is Portuguese, so although I understand Spanish I can’t speak it! Brazil is the only South American country to speak Portuguese rather than Spanish! I also spend a lot of time in the gym and enjoy socialising in Manchester.
How long have you lived in England and what brought you here?
Four years now. I spoke no English when I first came here and spent my first year intensively learning English. My husband is doing a PhD at Salford University in Engineering.
What do you miss most about home?
My family… and maybe the weather.
Can you share any interesting stories about first arriving in England?
I attempted to order chicken soup in a restaurant. Luckily, the waitress was very nice and corrected me so I would know for future. And, of course, brought me a nice bowl of chicken soup!
Vanessa is the first person to do this role in the agency and forms a pivotal part of the job scheduling process. Every single job in the agency goes through Vanessa and now we wonder how we ever coped without her!