Old Mill announces pensions specialist Steve Woodham to Head of Office
Senior Pensions Manager Steve Woodham has been announced as our new Head of Office for Wells.
Steve, who has worked at Old Mill for 15 years will be an ambassador for Old Mill in the local community through supporting networking events and charitable initiatives and encouraging staff to get involved too. His role will also have a strong focus on morale, engagement and personal wellbeing for all staff.
6th July 2021
In his new role Steve will be looking to showcase both Old Mill’s community and people led culture and, as Pensions Manager, the specialist pension services Old Mill can offer. Steve’s six-strong specialist pension team looks after 250 self-invested pension funds and assists Member Trustees to ensure that they meet their legislative responsibilities.
Steve’s pension background also gives him extensive experience in managing property, which will undoubtedly prove helpful when working with both Old Mill’s people and the other businesses that Old Mill shares the office with.
Steve says his two roles are a natural blend, and he’s looking forward to the opportunity of raising the profile of Old Mill and its pensions expertise in the community as well as the challenge of keeping staff at Wells engaged and happy as they start to return to the office.
‘It’s hugely important that I‘m visible to the Wells community as the ‘ambassador’ of the pensions team and Old Mill as a whole, while also being a point of contact for staff.
‘By being a visible and approachable leader, I can help encourage better communication, collaboration, and engagement between teams within the office, and between Old Mill and the local community, helping staff and clients alike feel more invested in the business and what we have to offer.
‘I‘m looking forward to rebuilding, re-engaging and re-establishing that positive spirit we always had in the office and nurturing that social environment we’ve really missed, however, I know that there will be a number of challenges as we come back from the pandemic.
‘I’m sure there will be a mix of people who are more reserved or those who are desperate to get back into the office to be around their colleagues, so I will be taking a careful and considered approach to ensure everyone is comfortable as we move forward.’
Steve will start his role on 1 July, and says he has a lot to learn from his predecessor, Andrew Moore, who is retiring after almost 12 years at Old Mill.
‘Andrew has been a fantastic head of office – he’s a very happy person, so his is a very positive space to fill, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot from his people-centric style, and the way he leads by example. I plan to emanate his positivity and energy while also bringing my own unique style and expertise to the role – starting with a ‘Great Wells Office Bake-Off!’
Ian Carlson, Managing Director at Old Mill says that ‘as lockdown comes to an end and people start to return to working in the offices the Head of Office role is more important than ever, and he has huge confidence that Steve is the right person for the job.’
‘As we start to move back to a ‘non-lockdown’ environment and people have to re-adjust to old ways of working, and adapt to new ones, having someone who can lead that’s going to be really important.
‘Steve is an excellent manager of people and is also very social and likes to bring a bit of fun to the workplace, but he’s also very aware that there isn’t going to be a ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to returning to ‘normal’.
‘He understands that staff are going to need different types and levels of support as they return to the office and I know he’ll handle the transition with sensitivity and care to build the office back up to the positive working environment it was pre-pandemic.’