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Women in Leadership: Sara Slack from Exposure Ninja

Through the Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs project*, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access free bespoke, employer-led training, career coaching and advice to up-skill their employees in vocational and high-level technical skills.

    This support is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund

    NTU run a free, 3-day course which is designed to support women to develop their careers and their capability to manage and lead within their organisations. The course has supported over 280 employees of local businesses since 2019.

    One of the businesses that sent their employees on the course is Exposure Ninja, a digital marketing agency based in West Bridgford, just outside Nottingham city centre.

    Offering a range of services from web design and SEO, to pay-per-click (PPC), content marketing and social media management, the company supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with digital marketing that makes an impact.

    Sara Slack2
    Sara Slack from Exposure Ninja

    Sara Slack, project manager

    Sara Slack is a project manager at Exposure Ninja, responsible for creating digital marketing campaign strategies, working with clients to establish their objectives, agreeing targets and reporting back on successes to date.

    After hearing about NTU’s Women in Leadership course from a colleague who had taken part in a previous cohort, Sara decided to sign up.

    Although she wasn’t sure at first what she wanted to get out of the course, she quickly realised that her interest lay in developing her leadership skills.

    Sara says: “I realised pretty soon after starting that my interest lay in how to be a more effective leader. I also wanted to better understand how company culture can be shaped and championed by individuals.

    “The first piece of coursework – the Personal Development Plan ­– made me sit and consider my next career steps. It allowed me to see that taking that next career step was possible with some structure, which was a game-changer for me.”

    Within three months of completing her plan, Sara had applied for and gotten a promotion that she’d previously been unsure about putting herself forward for.

    When reflecting on the impact that the course has had for her, Sara says: “I can honestly say that this course has easily had the biggest impact on me, both career-wise and also on a personal development level. It has surpassed my expectations.

    “Our company culture at Exposure Ninja is fantastic and the course has led me to appreciate this side of the business and the work that goes into it even more. I can identify different frameworks and approaches so that I can better understand how to prioritise my leadership style for my new team.

    “I’ve already made a lot of changes, focusing more on the long-term and maintaining more of a growth mindset.”

    Find out more about our courses

    We’re currently getting our Women in Leadership course ready to run again in 2021. You can find out more about our courses and register your interest on the NTU website.

    If you’re working in business in the STEM sector, we’re also working on a course tailored specifically for women working in science, technology, engineering and maths.

    If you have any questions, you can also contact us via any of the below channels:

    * The Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs project is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and is part of the High Level Skills programme. The programme is delivered by NTU as part of the High Level Skills consortium which also includes Derby College, Nottingham College, the University of Derby, and Nottingham City Council.

    • Notes for editors

      For press enquiries, please contact Joe Boultby-Ward, Marketing Manager by email or on +44 (0)115 878 8899.

      • The High Level Skills programme is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and is made up of two complementary projects – Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs, and GRADS for D2N2.
      • The projects have received £2,201,163 (Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs) and £7,360,994 (GRADS for D2N2) of funding from the European Social Fund as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.
      • The Department for Work and Pensions (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for the English European Social Fund programme.
      • Established by the European Union, the European Social Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support skills development, employment and job creation, social inclusion and local community regenerations.
      • For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.
    Published on 7 July 2021
    • Category: Business; Nottingham Business School

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    Women in Leadership team