Case Study

Dami is part of the Ingeus leadership team responsible for delivering the Restart Scheme to thousands of unemployed people across Central and West London. It’s a career path she was never destined to tread but is one she knows is where she’s meant to be. That is of course, when she’s not playing crazy golf with her five-year-old daughter. Working at Ingeus, she says, gives her the space to succeed at both: 

 

“As a working mum, it’s easy to feel that if you’re succeeding in one part of your life, you’re failing in others. Ingeus gives me the flexibility to balance a career and being a mum. I’m never made to feel like a failure at work because I have commitments at home,” she says. 

 

After deviating from her original life plan of a high-flying scientific career, Dami discovered her skill at talking to people and the satisfaction helping others gave to her, while also studying part-time for a master's degree. Finding work in the employability industry and subsequently joining Ingeus as a Business Manager in 2021 aligned her analytic, management and personable strengths: 

 

“It was a game changer,” says Dami, who is 32 and lives in Dartford. “The scale of Ingeus gives you so much personal potential to develop, while giving the maximum support possible to the participants on our programmes.”  

 

Promoted to Head of Delivery for the Restart Scheme just two years after her arrival, Dami now oversees four Business Managers, with teams across Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets. 

 

“It was a big step up for me, but I was offered training and mentoring; all the backing to do it,” adds Dami. “You can see that culture from the start, no one is unapproachable, everyone is aiming for the same goal, and you’re working alongside world class people with experience and personalities you can’t not admire. It's something I strive to emulate in my team, I enjoy helping people develop their strengths and find success.” 

 

That peer support is evident in everyday working life at Ingeus adds Dami:  

 

“The wellbeing support is incredible. Our employee assistance programme has a button at the top of our Teams platform. It’s there, at the top, above anything work related. There’s an almost overwhelming selection of health-related discounts and vouchers, and a really active people partner network to ensure everyone is supported in any way needed. 

 

“Ingeus has invested time, training and enthusiasm in me from day one – I knew immediately I was here for the long haul. As a woman of colour I’d also never seen such a diverse leadership team. To be a part of it, at my age, just shows that Ingeus is at the forefront of breaking those glass ceilings. It’s amazing to be paid to do this.”