Senior Business Development Executive

Christine Webster
Senior Business Development Executive
Commerce Street
Fraserburgh

What does your role involve?

The major part is working with businesses, supporting their development through a grants and loans programme run by the Economic Development Service. Other activities include developing and managing projects relating to energy, supporting appropriate Community Economic Development projects and participating in regeneration plans for various Aberdeenshire towns.

What do you enjoy best about your role?

Being proactive. Job satisfaction when individuals or groups you have been working with achieve more than they thought they could. Economic Development is a great area of work, suitable for those who enjoy making things happen, are innovative and able to motivate and encourage. You have to work on your own initiative but contribute as part of a team. The challenging and rewarding environment is everything I look for in a job.

Tell us about your background and experience.

I have a multi disciplinary degree which included economics, business development, environmental science, planning and rural industries. Most of my career was developed in Scottish Enterprise developing and managing business support projects such as crisis management during the foot and mouth outbreak, regeneration and waterfront development, shipbuilding and energy strategies and researching upcoming markets such as medical devices for engineering and electronics businesses.Regardless of the sectors and tasks involved in economic development if you have a basic understanding of economics and the mechanics of business and are able to impact change through working with a variety of people, you have every chance of a successful and rewarding career.

What makes you stay with Aberdeenshire Council?

I now have a 6 month old boy and have just returned back to work, so work life balance is so important at the moment. A combination of personnel policies and the job, offer the flexibility to manage my work and home life. It is more important than ever that I achieve job satisfaction when away from my son, otherwise I wouldn’t have come back to work full time. I look forward to continuing to contribute to the business and communities I work with and of course providing a loving and vibrant childhood for my son.