I was first introduced to JCI back in late 2006 when I was invited to JCI Southampton's Annual Gala Dinner by my good friend Will Noble who was Local President at the time. With best dinner suit on I stepped into the room to find over 150 fellow young professionals in front of me - quite daunting for a newcomer, but I had an absolute blast & decided to go along to further events to find out more about this extraordinary organisation that I had never heard of before. I was fascinated by the fact that one organisation could offer so many different areas of opportunity whilst still retaining a sense of fun along the way & from that moment on I was quite simply hooked!

Upon joining the organisation in April 2007 I was immediately asked to stand for a JCI Southampton Board position, taking the role of Administration Director. I continued to serve on the JCI Southampton Board in various roles for 7 years stepping down at the end of 2013 in order to concentrate on my current 2014 Deputy National President role. I was elected Deputy Local President in 2010 before becoming Local President in 2011, a role I continued with in 2012. It's quite rare for someone to be Local President for 2 consecutive years so I was honoured to have had the chance to lead JCI Southampton twice in effect and I believe it truly left me in good stead to move onto a National Board role in 2013 as it gave me the experience and knowledge to help support/mentor chambers & members to get the best out of themselves and others. I have always been very passionate about sharing best practice within JCI & helping to nurture other members to not only take the opportunities that the organisation offers, but also to fulfil their own potential.

This was one of the driving forces for me taking on the role of 2013 Southern Regional Group Chair as part of that year's National Board team. I discussed the role with the 2012 Deputy National President, Emma Eastwood, and the 2012 Southern RGC, Jen Little, in order to gain a better understanding of what was required. I subsequently spoke to all of the 2012 Local Presidents in the Southern region in order to gain the backing of all the chambers that make up the region and was nominated by the region accordingly. I haven't looked back since and have had an amazing time. I'd encourage anyone interested in joining a future National Board team to speak to a current or past National Board member and see where it takes them!