Rachel Wardle has over 15 years of experience in business, project management, and human resources. She has a proven track record of building relationships, managing complex projects, and communicating effectively at all levels of an organization. Her career has involved roles in finance, strategy, resource planning, and HR. She is skilled in areas like change management, problem solving, and developing teams.

1. Rachel Wardle
1
Contact Details
rlwardle2@gmail.com
uk.linkedin.com/in/rlwardle2
Adaptable and perceptive with a breadth of experience across business disciplines. Confident and
challenging with an open, balanced approach. Motivated, conscientious and intelligent, skilled at
understanding complexideas quicklyand presenting them simply. Professional and refreshing, builds
lasting working relationships.
Strengths
 Builds enduring business relationships to make things happen fast
 Anticipates stakeholder needs, reprioritising and remaining organised under pressure
 Communicates openly and with confidence at all levels , verbally and in writing
 Brings diverse stakeholder groups together to make decisions when it matters
Key Achievements
 Planned and managed Friends Life/Provident UK business unit quarterly, interim and year end
financial results production process to deliver on time and to quality, 2010-13
 Established and managed a small PMO team for the Friends Provident International development
portfolio worth £6-11m in 2008-10
 Project Managed implementation ofa portfolio level business development Resource Management
Group and associated tools and practices
 Managed complex stakeholder relationships to maintain Friends Provident’s flag ship Socially
Responsible Investment proposition
 Recruited, developed and performance managed individuals and small teams
Career History
Babcock International Group plc
Human Resources Projects Feb-Apr 2015
 Managing and supporting various HR projects and business as usual activities often working with
senior managers and across a number of sites and businesses. These include the induction
element of an Organisational Development programme, the annual salary review, HR
investigations, placing international assignees in the UK and abroad, recruitment, policy and
process reviews and a reward scheme
Various volunteer positions Nov 2014-Feb 2015
 Curzon Community Cinema: usher developing end-customer service experience – providing
direction to other volunteers when needed
 Clevedon Community Bookshop: part of book selling team using till, valuing and pricing donated
books,interacting with customers and cashing up. Also compiled Board proposal to increase sales
and customer awareness through market stall
 Weston Hospice Care: charity shop volunteer using touch screen till, sorting and cleaning
donations, supporting cashing up,dealing with diverse needs of customers - responding quickly to
feedback and working as a team with volunteers,some with learning difficulties/other supportneeds
Friends Life plc 2002-2014
Finance Change Manager/Project Manager Jun 2010-Oct 2014
 Managed People & Communications work stream of Solvency II programme, working alongside
programme level PMO and with managers ofall technical delivery work streams,to support and co-
ordinate coherent communication,training and awareness activities across the company to embed
risk based decision making
 Delivered investors day presentation materials presented March 2014 and subsequent online
strategy communications during secondment to Group Strategy
 Project managed Actuarial Student Scheme Review and production of company wide Delegated
Authorities to successful outcomes whilst working as PMO for company Risk Transformation

2. Rachel Wardle
2
Programme, 2013
 Worked within the Finance PMO to deliver portfolio level MI to senior stakeholders, with specific
responsibility for two key Finance change programmes, 2012-13
 Planned and managed UK business unitquarterly,interim and year end financial results production
process to deliver on time and to quality during a period of sustained change, including integration
of Friends Provident and Axa, transition of results production to a new site, company structural
simplification impacting reporting and regulatory change, 2010-13
 Recruited, developed and performance managed small teams and worked through
redeployment/redundancy with direct report
International Resource/Planning & Shared Services Relationship Manager 2008-Nov 2010
 Managed 2010 development portfolio planning working across Sales, Marketing, Development
Finance and Business Change Services
 Devised and implemented an operational plan and reporting process to track all non business as
usual activities for International
 Developed and carried out skills analysis for those in International’s generic project roles
 Managed International’s relationship with Business Change Services frequently working with the
area, Finance and IT to resolve resource and budget issues successfully
 Managed the International small changes budget of c£300k
 Devised and implemented effective people and financial resource management and planning
capability for International supporting production of MI and associated recommendations to
audiences at various levels enabling better decision making
 Managed various stakeholder relationships to support transition from a de-centralised to a
centralised project resources area
 Recruited, developed and performance managed a small team
Project Consultant (for Business Change Team) 2006-2008
 Established strong working relationships with projectpractitioners atall levels to ensure adoption of,
and share, good practices in project management and governance
 Maintained a portfolio view to ensure links between projects were exploited
 Managed implementation of a portfolio level business development resource management group
 Identified and implemented improvements to practices and processes, eg project start-up
 Devised methods for monitoring progress of strategic programmes against targets
Project Manager 2005-2006
 Project managed a cultural change project to increase employee and customer engagement
through ‘experience’
 Led engagement workshops for up to 100 participants at a time
 Managed diverse stakeholder relationships to ensure a consistent understanding of the concept of
‘experience’ in circumstances when views were often in conflict
 Developed and performance managed two direct reports and recruited a team of five
Leadership Development Graduate 2002-2005
Customer Services Development
 Performance managed three direct reports
 Co-ordinated a Project Manager and Analyst recruitment programme
Finance Business Analysis
 Managed production of monthly board level management information pack
 Managed month and year end finance processes for IT and Marketing
UK Distribution
 Reviewed role resulting in role being repositioned and improved relationships
 Managed complex internal and external stakeholder relationships to maintain flag ship Socially
Responsible Investment proposition to prevent potential reputational damage
International Sales & Marketing
 Managed production of report for AKG to obtain first financial strength rating for Friends Provident
International
 Carried out market research

3. Rachel Wardle
3
 Managed production of marketing literature
Business Change Team
 Presented project management process to groups of project practitioners
 Researched effectiveness ofa post-training mentoring programme for project managers and made
recommendations for future programmes
 Improved, communicated and applied project prioritisation processes
Human Resources
 Developed and implemented overseas working policy to ensure the company’s first long term
overseas sales team received appropriate rewards and benefits, including salary calculations and
contract writing
 Researched, developed voluntary and flexible benefits proposals, including salary sacrifice
arrangements, and implemented certain policies
 Investigated and made recommendations for pension scheme aimed specifically at direct sales
force
Synergy Transatlantic 2001
Trainee Marketing Associate on a Shell funded undergraduate placement scheme
Rolls-Royce plc 1998-2000
Year in Industry Programme; plus subsequent university vacation employment. Facilities roles
Key Qualifications & Skills
 ISEB Certificate in Programme & ProjectSupportOffice Essentials & Advanced
 Prince 2 Foundation (93%) & Practitioner (87%)
 NVQ Level 3 in 'coaching in the workplace'
 Financial Planning Certificate 1,2&3
 University of Bristol:BSc JointHonours Economics & Politics:2:1
 NEBS Management:certificate level
 A levels: AAAB
 GCSEs: seven A*s (including French),one A (German),one C
Professional Development
 Influencing & Negotiating
 Project Management
 Risk Management
 High ImpactPresentation Skills
 Problem Solving & Decision Making
 Coaching for Performance
 Feedback Skills
 Facilitation Skills
 North SomersetEnterprise Agency
Business StartUp
 Penna Self Employment
Awards & Positions of Responsibility
 Local Authority Governor – Wyvern College, Salisbury (2009-2010)
 Associate Governor - Wyvern College, Salisbury (2007-2009)
 Young Enterprise Business Adviser - Godolphin School, Salisbury (2005-2006)
 Successively First Year Representative, President and Social Secretary of the University of Bristol
Economics Society (1999–2002)
 Year in Industry Regional Director’s Award (for raising the profile of YiI) (1999)
 Awards for Service as Head Girl and Academic Distinction at A Level; Head Girl of the Magnus
School: Managing Director of a Young Enterprise Company (1996–98)
Interests
 Jogging and walking. For the lastfew years I have completed a 32 mile walk along the Jurassic
Coastfor ‘Brain Tumour UK,’ the team has raised over £15k for a number ofyears
 I have visited Japan, India and Cuba. We are keen for our next trip to be to China or Russia.
References available on request