Local President: Hannah Matthewman

Local Organisation: JCI Manchester President

How long have you been a member: I have been a JCI member since 2015

How did you hear about JCI? I initially heard about JCI through the company I worked for. At the time they were corporate members
and part of my role was to represent the company at various events including those organised by JCI
Manchester.

Why did you join JCI? At first, my involvement with JCI was purely through the company I worked for. However, after
speaking to directors from the JCI Manchester board I realised I wanted to be more involved and to dedicate more of my time to the chamber and our community.

Can you briefly tell me about your background in life and JCI?
My professional background is marketing and after attending regular JCI events, I quickly realised I wanted to offer my expertise, time and support to assist with JCI events and programs. This is why after leaving the company that was a corporate partner I signed up as an individual member and have assisted with the marketing activities for four years.

What’s your profession? Outside of JCI, I work as a Marketing Manager at a digital marketing agency in Manchester called Embryo.

Can you use what you have learned in JCI in your job? Definitely! JCI enables you to work with and learn from people who work in a wide range of industries and have a diverse range of skills. Working with these people on different projects that benefit the Manchester community has enabled me to learn new skills whilst also developing existing skills at the
same time. These skills are then extremely useful for my job, as working in digital marketing you have to be able to manage numerous projects with different people simultaneously.

What was it that made you put yourself forward for the role as Local President? At first, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to dedicate enough time to the role of Local President. However, after speaking to numerous people involved with JCI I realised a lot of what I was already doing would be required in the role as LP and it was a great opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and to further my development as a young professional.

What has been your proudest moment as an active member in JCI so far?
As JCI is a volunteer organisation there are a lot of proud moments as all of our members continuously work to develop themselves and assist in the Manchester community. Some key highlights include:

• 2019 Manchester Young Talent Awards, our flagship project which I assisted on and on one
• night brought together over 400 people in Manchester to celebrate the city’s incredible talent.
• Winning awards at the JCI national convention.
• Helping to raise over £4000 for a local charity by running the Manchester 10k and through fundraising.
• Having such an active board each year, this year we’ve had seven new young professionals
• join our team and they’re all fantastic!

Why should more people join JCI? When I first joined JCI I did what was required of my job and attended regular events. Though I quickly realised with JCI you get out what you put in (like most things). Therefore when I started to invest more of my time and efforts into JCI I started to see so many benefits. I was able to deepen my understanding of such a variety of topics whilst meeting some incredible people that I probably would have never come across.

Who is a leader you admire? I always feel like this is a really tough question as the answer frequently changes. During lockdown I read Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the creator of Nike by Phil Knight and I thought it was a great book that discussed the lessons you can learn as a leader and in business in an honest way.

Do you have a favourite quote? “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” -Walt Disney

To find out more about JCI Southampton visit: https://www.jcimanchester.org.uk/