Good news for Alex Shufflebottom; good news for Shufflebottom

At Shufflebottom, investment in our staff is at the heart of our business. Over the years, we’ve made it our business to keep skills’ development, training, continual professional development and attracting apprenticeships to the fore as we know it is our business.

Investment in people is not only vital for personal development and career progression and self-worth, but importantly, it makes sound business sense. Recruiting and retaining staff has a huge impact on morale of the company and on the bottom line. From the production line on the factory floor, through to our office staff and management, we know that education and training is a win win situation.

That’s why we’re delighted to share the news that on 25th January, our Director, Alex Shufflebottom graduated with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with merit from the University of South Wales at a glittering ceremony* at the International Convention Centre in Newport.

Alex’s first degree was in psychology, and then, over twenty years ago, she embarked on a three-year part-time MBA. However, life, children and business got in the way (her words!) so it was put on hold. But it was always niggling away as something that was unfinished business so she enrolled again at the end of October 2022 to bring the degree to its completion.

So well done to Alex for achieving this prestigious post-graduate qualification that covers the theoretical and practical training in business principles and leadership skills. The MBA has enhanced Alex’s skills and overview of the range of skills needed in an operation the size of Shufflebottom, including: accounting, finance, marketing and HR.

As part of the course, Alex presented a research-led dissertation on ‘Menopause in the Workplace’, a topic that is a hot-button issue in the UK at the moment, being fiercely debated in Parliament and across the airwaves. This was a pertinent issue here at Shufflebottom too and the results will surely add value to employment practices going forward. As a company that is committed to parity of opportunity for women in the construction sector which historically, and still does, sees less females than males in roles, we have an above-average number of women. And we want to hang on to those we have. Alex’s research findings looked at challenges facing women of a certain age in the workplace and what might be done to support them. Keeping and valuing menopausal women in the workforce and not losing years of skills and experience unnecessarily, makes sound business sense and so the strategic direction and management of Shufflebottom will be well served by Alex’s MBA going forward.

We’re very proud of Alex here at Shufflebottom as are her family, husband, Dafydd, and children, Henri and Ruby. We hope she loved wearing her cap and gown for a few hours but trust she won’t be wearing them around the office! Llongyfarchiadau/Congratulations!

*serendipity had it that also graduating with an MBA at the same time at the very same ceremony was Shufflebottom employee, John Alimi from Nigeria who has just joined our Structural Engineering Department. Congratulations to John, too!