As Delib continues to grow, we’re delighted to welcome new people to the team. Our newest recruit is Joel, joining our UK office after a stint of travelling the world. We caught up with him in his first week about all those important topics: music, biscuits and his desert island picks.
1. What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Joel Allen and I am from the world famous (for mainly all the wrong reasons) city of Salisbury! Having moved to Bristol for university and subsequently discovering it to be the greatest city on the planet, I have since resided here for the best part of 10 years.
2. Favourite band and/or artist?
Sorry but there is no way of keeping this short and sweet. When it comes to music I have an incredibly varied palate and enjoy, or at least appreciate, music from all corners of the globe. My personal favourites range from childhood classics including; Michael Jackson and Bob Marley (inspired by my Dad) and Lighthouse Family (inspired by my Mum), right through to punk rock superstars such as Blink 182, Less than Jake and King Prawn! Since my late teens I have always had a love for drum and bass, but in recent years I’ve discovered a fondness for bands (albeit sometimes of the one-man kind) and like to listen to Bastille, Coldplay and James Bay. My latest and greatest discovery though was picked up on my travels and I love listening to Latin American chart music; namely Reggaeton with artists including: Daddy Yankee, MC Kevinho and MC Fioti! Basically music makes me very happy and if you put some on I will be sure to lend an eager ear.
3. Creature of habit or maverick thinker?
I am a man who likes routine. Planning, mapping out tasks and events, and keeping things neat and tidy both mentally and in the physical world provide me with an unusual amount of satisfaction. That said, I do get a total buzz from doing the odd spontaneous activity and this is certainly true whenever I’m abroad as I find this is the best way to discover the hidden gems and ‘off the beaten path’ wonders of the world.
4. You (and, for the sake of keeping it interesting, any spouses/partners/kids/significant others) get mysteriously transported to a desert island, with only time to grab a couple of precious things to take with you. What makes the ‘keep’ list?
Firstly this sounds incredible. It is so frustratingly difficult to find an undiscovered slice of paradise in this day and age so if the opportunity arises, count me in. However in the interest of answering this relatively important and fairly serious question, and without wanting to rattle on, I will keep this to three items. Firstly pop me in a bag of fine ground organic Peruvian coffee with all the necessary paraphernalia to make the perfect brew. Also maybe some UHT milk so I can really enjoy this to the max. Second I would choose to take ‘Spotify’ in some usable capacity so I could listen to my favourite tunes and nostalgically reminisce about the home I used to have. Finally I would take with me a bottle of fine Caribbean rum; probably Wray & Nephews, as after all you can’t have Desert Island life without rum!
5. Biscuits – dunk or leave unsullied?
Dunk. All day long. I like my biscuits like I like my cereal – soft & soggy. Most satisfyingly a chocolate hobnob or a Fox’s golden crunch cream.
6. Before joining Delib, how did you put bread on the table?
My ‘adult’ life started part way through third year of university where I realised it was about time I took things at least a little seriously. Graduating with a 2:1 and after a year working in customer retention for a home insurance provider, I landed myself on a grad scheme for a leading vehicle rental company. This is where I spent the best part of the last six years bouncing from promotion to promotion, finally ending up as a regional real estate & facilities manager. After a successful and fortunate career I took a break to see the world and have spent the past five months travelling SE Asia & South America before returning to the UK and jumping back in to the thick of it.
7. Why did you want to join Delib?
Delib offers me the chance to work in an extraordinarily interesting, relevant and challenging sector, working on topics that genuinely matter. Taking time out of the workplace allowed me to evaluate what I wanted from my career and where my values lie, and I feel working for a company such as Delib provides me with the platform to really make a difference. The company, its ethos and its people drew me in, and I am excited to see what awaits me down the road.
8. Any shout outs, comments or other musings?
Big shout out to Jayne, Lorna and Kim for managing such a pleasant and seamless recruitment process. Also, a massive thanks to the office gang for welcoming me into the fold. Thanks also to Ben F for feeding me small insights into the company over the years we have been acquainted as this led me to the fantastically well worded and inspiring job ad that ultimately convinced me to apply.
Thanks for the comprehensive answers Joel! As ever, we’ll be bringing Joel up to speed with lots of training and hopefully some events over the next few weeks. If you’d like to hear more about Joel’s travels or how he’s settling in, give him a shout on Twitter.
