Vici Laing, training lead for the United Kingdom and Ireland team, shares how Avanade was the beginning of a new career path for her, and the autonomy, flexibility and endless possibilities for learning new skills has taken her to new heights.

Q. What gets you out of bed every morning?
A. My husband and daughter, and the thought of being able to make a positive difference with my work.

Q. What makes Avanade different from other places you’ve worked?
A. I have never worked anywhere else in which I have such autonomy or flexibility with the direction of my career. I feel empowered to do what I feel is needed in my role. There are endless possibilities for learning and stretching yourself at Avanade.

Q. What is your proudest career moment and why?
A. When I managed to get my first HR role. I had been trying to change my career from beauty therapy and no one wanted to hire me, but my perseverance paid off eventually! With Avanade, I found a place that was able to see the potential in what I could do and has given me the opportunities to grow and develop according to my own goals.

Q. What advice would you give to your younger self?
A. You can do so much more than you think you can. Don't be afraid of failure.

Q. What is your secret to making progress each day?
A. If I feel a bit overwhelmed, I try and take a step back, write down everything I need to do or what is bothering me, and just chip away at it bit by bit. Keeping a high view of what you are doing in your life is so important. It's so easy to get caught up in the granular detail and forget to enjoy it.

Q. A typical weekend for me is…
A. Going for walks with our dog, lots of laughs, nice food and wine.

Q. Tell us one thing people don’t know about you.
A. I did my Gold Duke of Edinburgh at 17 and did an expedition up Mount Kenya. We also looked after street children in the shanty town Kabeira for a month - a very humbling experience that I would love to do again.