To mark International Women’s Day, Suntera Digital Operations Manager Leigh Keeney spoke about rising fast through the ranks, a typical day in her role and fostering business growth in a supportive environment.
Q: You started your journey with Suntera Digital back in 2018 – how has your career evolved since then?
LK: I started in a temporary administration role while studying for my master’s degree. Once I completed my studies, I decided to stay on permanently. I have been fortunate to progress quickly within the organisation: promoted to Senior Administrator in 2021, Assistant Manager in 2022, and more recently Operations Manager for the Digital division in 2023. Throughout this journey, I have been lucky to be supported by my strong female manager Lorna – Managing Director of Suntera Digital - who has always believed in me and actively advocated for my progression.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
LK: I typically wake up around 5:30am to fit in a gym session before starting work. My workday is highly varied, often shaped by client requests. I oversee all incoming client requests and delegate tasks within the team. I also lead and provide guidance on our professional trading operations, attend board meetings, and participate in various client calls. Beyond client-facing responsibilities, I manage the billing and revenue function for the digital division. This includes monitoring cash flow, setting revenue targets, tracking our performance against the budget, and raising invoices for clients.
In the evenings, I focus on unwinding and relaxing. I’m also trying to learn Spanish in my spare time although, I’ll admit, it's a bit of a challenge!
Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?
LK: The variety. Suntera is an excellent company to work for and, within the Digital team, we benefit from freedom and autonomy in decision-making as a separate division. I’ve also been fortunate to travel as part of the position including attending digital and tech events in London and Las Vegas last year, which was an incredible experience.
The team environment is also fantastic. We’ve fostered a strong sense of balance and collaboration, and everyone is incredibly dedicated and hardworking.
Q: What would you say have been your key successes since joining Suntera Digital?
LK: I believe my key success has been the rapid progression in my career. It’s incredibly rewarding to work for an organisation that fosters organic growth and does not allow factors like age or gender to influence career advancement.
In my role as Operations Manager, I’ve implemented several financial performance monitoring measures that provide us with valuable insights into our division’s performance and give us the tools to drive improvement. This has contributed to strong growth within the group. I have also really enjoyed developing my team and seeing their confidence grow within their roles.
Q: What challenges have you encountered and how did you overcome them?
LK: I think the main challenge I have previously faced is confidence, being in a senior position at a fairly young age can be overwhelming. I have been able to overcome this by simply getting stuck in.
Having the self-belief to recognise that your input is valuable and you deserve to be in the place that you are is important. Having such a strong female role model in Lorna has made this journey much easier and has been incredibly empowering.
Q: What advice would you give to someone building their career?
LK: Be consistent, be reliable and do what you say you are going to do. This may seem simple, however I believe this, coupled with the ability to apply your own initiative to your work, is the recipe for success. Also, do not let anyone tell you your goals are too ambitious! They are your goals for a reason, and you are always capable of achieving them.
Q: Looking ahead, what’s next for you?
LK: I am looking forward to continuing in my role, but it would be great to progress further in the future. We are working on some really interesting prospective client structures at the moment in Digital and I am excited to get these started and see them through to fruition.
Q: What do you see as being the most exciting developments on the horizon in the digital space?
LK: I would say AI, but I feel like everyone would say that! We are seeing a lot of clients evolving into new markets and strategies at the moment which is exciting to see. Diversification is necessary in today’s climate, and I look forward to seeing how this shapes Suntera Digital’s clients.
Key Contact:
OPERATIONS MANAGER, SUNTERA DIGITAL