Spotlight on....

In our new 'Spotlight On' feature we aim to help you get to know more about the people behind our partners, members and other people in our fabulous industry.

With such a huge amount of roles, this sector certinaly offers unique an varied opportunities at all levels. 

In this issue, we learn more about 2 amazing colleagues at Kinetic - one of our partners, first up is Lisa.

 So Lisa, tell us a little about your role and Kinetic.

Hi, I'm Lisa Mills and I'm the Product Manager at Kinetic. 

Kinetic provides innovative software to over 84% of universities in the UK and Ireland, helping university accommodation and conferencing teams deliver the best student and customer experiences possible.

What are your responsibilities?

As a Product Manager at Kinetic, I have the pleasure of helping take customer ideas, suggestions, and feedback, conducting market research, and transforming the insights gained into the next best feature or product in our portfolio. I work with some incredibly talented people at Kinetic in various departments who work hard to ensure the solutions we build not only meet the needs of our customers today but empower them to be ready for the future. 

What is a typical day for you?

My day typically starts with a daily products and dev team catch-up meeting where we review where we are on our product roadmap, exchange ideas and ensure we are on track. It sometimes evolves into a group therapy session, where we share our woes and receive support from each other. This has been gold for such a fast-paced team.

I am typically involved in client meetings, either engaging with user groups or doing a demo. I get the fantastic opportunity to speak to customers to get their feedback on our products and features. My role is to ensure our customer’s voice is heard and becomes central to every new development we do. I also work with the design team reviewing product designs to ensure they meet requirements. I enjoy spending time with other teams at Kinetic and collaborating with them on everything relating to our commercial products.

What do you love about your role?

What I love most about my role is taking something from an idea through to a working solution for our customers. Being a part of that collaborative process and seeing our products make a difference to our customers today and in the future is just great.

And what do you least like?

Not having enough hours in the day and being patient when prioritising work across all product streams – accepting that we can’t immediately implement all fantastic ideas at once.

What are you most proud of career-wise?

This is my 19th year with Kinetic, and I’m proud to say I have achieved my goal of setting the example to my children that with the right company behind you, you can have it all – a full-time career doing a job you love with incredible opportunities and career progression paths alongside a well-balanced family life and being a full-time mum. I love coming to work, what I do, and the company I work for – that’s something to be proud of right there.

What is your claim to fame or unusual fact?

Before joining Kinetic in 2004, I was a DJ and choreographer. While in the entertainment industry, I met many ‘celebrities’ including Coolio, Chesney Hawkes, 911, Blazin’ Squad and Blue. I once appeared on the TV show The Weakest Link, and although I was sadly voted off in the 5th round, I gave as good as I got and succeeded in making Ann Robinson break her icy stare and laugh.

What job did you want to do as a child?

In Primary school, I was obsessed with supermarket checkouts and wanted to work as a checkout assistant; luckily, my aspirations grew as I got older. I went to theatre school and studied media performance at university with the dream of being a tv presenter.

Where do you live/who with?

I live in Milton Keynes, the land of roundabouts and concrete cows, with my husband Dean, my two children Kayleigh and Jack and our rather troublesome dog Harley (meant to be a Beagle Cocker Spaniel cross – a small-sized dog, and she has turned out to be a Beagle WHIPPET cross so rather much larger than expected)

 What do you love to do outside of work?

I love the theatre and being out socialising with family and friends. I did sports once, but that wasn’t really for me, so I am more of a spectator – my son plays football for a grassroots team sponsored by Kinetic, and I am a total soccer mum standing on the sidelines every Saturday cheering them on come rain or shine.

Our next Issue features Rori.