At this month’s Lean Agile Brighton meetup we heard from Jen Dallas about the digital transformation she has led over a number of years at RSA. We caught up with Jen afterwards to learn a little more about her…

Can you tell us a bit about you and the work that you do…

I’m the Capability Transformation Director at RSA Insurance, previously the Digital Director. Over the last 3 years we transformed the digital function going from ca. 12 releases a year to over 110. We’ve replatformed and implemented new ways of working, all of which has made us more agile. Now I’m responsible for all of our centres of excellence (engineering, test, release management, product & design, etc) and making us more effective and efficient in how we deliver all IT change and maintenance.

Any key highlights / takeaways for anyone who missed your talk?

Build a team you trust, get a sponsor, focus on outcomes over tasks, visualise the end state.

Did you come up through a “traditional” techie route or has your career taken twists and turns along the way?

Twists and turns along the way, I started in a call centre selling holidays, but actually learnt coding and how to rebuild computers from age 4.

Is there a moment that helped define your career?

When the marketing department at Premier Holidays asked if I’d help create some html pages in between selling holidays over the phone.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self?

Be patient, your time will come, you are already good enough.

What’s your big tech prediction for 2023?

We’ll continue to focus on buzz words rather than the fundamentals / foundations needed for success!

Silicon Brighton wouldn’t be here without people like you giving back to the community so… what does the word community mean to you?

Purpose, care, giving back.