Kyle joined Clarity as Product Marketing Manager just under two years ago, having never worked in the business travel industry before. His drive, marketing experience and fresh perspective has had a huge impact on the Marketing team here at Clarity. Not only has he created and hosted the first business travel podcast series, but he has also played a crucial role in the development of Clarity's new online booking system.

A finalist for Best Newcomer at the Business Travel People Awards 2019, we decided to grab a quick catch up with Kyle to gain an insight into his life at Clarity: 

What’s a regular morning for you? 

I wake up my son, Olli, and get him ready for nursery. I ask him what he wants for breakfast, make it and then get told that he doesn’t like it. He tells me about his day ahead, and as he’s two and a half I understand about 70 percent of what he says. I find that the type of day I have is strongly linked to him. For example, if we have a laugh and I get a big cuddle before I leave, it puts me in a great mood for the day.

I check my emails to make sure I’m not going to be walking into any bombshells and line up a podcast or two for the journey (I sometimes have to get a Northern Train so I’m also prepared for a delay). I’m a big fan of Kinda Funny, a geek culture podcast, and ‘Inside of You’ with Michael Rosenbaum (you may know him as Lex Luther in Smallville). I love podcasts that feel conversational, almost like you’re eavesdropping on a conversation. My biggest podcast turn off is poor audio quality, especially when someone joins via skype and it sounds like they’re stuck in traffic on loudspeaker.

What are your main responsibilities?

I’m the Product Marketing Manager so the general rule is that if we package it and sell it, I’m the go to for the marketing of it. My main areas for the past 12 months have been the Go2Insight product and the launch of the new Go2Book system. I’m exceptionally lucky as I work with a group of passionate and incredibly talented product managers, who make my job a lot easier.

I’m also the host, producer and editor of Absolute Clarity, our business travel podcast. Since its launch in 2018, we’ve had over 100,000 listens over the course of two seasons. I’m incredibly proud of the content we’ve produced and at the start I couldn’t have dreamt of producing shows featuring the likes of Kelloggs, Microsoft, Virgin Atlantic, Air France – KLM, Seventy 7 and more.  

How would you describe a particular work day? 

It’s cliché, but there isn’t a standard work day for me to describe. We’re currently preparing for the launch of the third season of Absolute Clarity, so I’ve been busy writing, recording and editing the first batch of episodes. Alongside that I’ve been working on the design for the new Go2Book and ensuring that it looks and feels as good as possible.

What’s your most memorable work moment? 

Probably the day we presented the new version of Go2Book to our Commercial Director, Sue Chapman. You’re always nervous when you’re showing someone something for the first time. Especially when you’re passionate it. Sue has been a big influence and supporter during my time at Clarity and to help produce something she was proud of will forever be amongst my most memorable moments.   

A close second is the day I recorded my first ever podcast with our CEO, Pat McDonagh, a few weeks after I started. We recorded for over 1.5 hours and at the end I realised his mic wasn’t on. I thought he was going to fire me, he probably should have, but he didn’t and here we are over 30 episodes later with the number one travel management podcast.

What do you love most about your job? 

The answer to this questions is probably split in two for me. The first being what do I love about the job and that’s the freedom to create content that inspires me. Pat has given me free reign to produce the podcast and host in my own style. There aren’t many multi-million pound companies that put their trust in someone who can be as offensive as me, but they do and it seems to work.

The second bit is what do I love about Clarity and that’s the exec team. I’m lucky to have developed a bond with the team and they have all helped me in various aspects of my career. I have legitimately never worked for a company that’s exec team has been as approachable as Clarity’s. The ‘my office is always open’ phrase is usually not quite true in businesses, but I’ve never been turned away when I’ve approached any of them for guidance.

If you haven’t already, have a listen to Kyle Daniels on our podcast, Absolute Clarity:

Neil Wainwright Farrar, Learning and Development Manager, is the embodiment of Clarity values and culture. Not only is he an integral part of the operations management structure, he is the kind of character every business needs: positive, motivational and tenacious, someone everyone can relate to.

A finalist for Operations Manager of the Year at the Business Travel People Awards 2019, we decided to grab a quick catch up with Neil to gain an insight into his life at Clarity: 

What’s a regular morning for you? 

At present its helping to get our five and two year old boys ready for their day ahead. So, it’s bath or shower, dress, eat breakfast and even though there are two of us getting them ready, it can be a real challenge! There are tougher mornings ahead as from the beginning of June, I’ll need to do this on my own as well as a separate nursery and school drop off three days a week. If I think my mornings are hard work now, I fear I have more challenging times ahead. And this is all before I even reach the office! 

What are your main responsibilities?

My main responsibilities are to manage, develop and run an effective Learning & Development function for Clarity and support the wider HR Department with L&D activities, compliance and reporting. To achieve this, I design, review and maintain training relevant to the wider business or department specific areas. I do this through a wide range of activities including e-learning, web conferencing and class room based sessions. I also manage training budgets, staff appraisals companywide and the Brighter Beginnings apprenticeship programme – a programme I am particularly passionate about. 

How would you describe a particular work day? 

This can vary so much depending on where I am going, what I’m doing and what’s happening within the business. If I am delivering training, I may need to travel the night before, so I am ready for those early starts. I am often setting up rooms ready to welcome course attendees and making sure all arrangements are taken care of so they have the best possible learning experience. 

As I run a number of the induction training courses, I’m conscious that I am one of the first faces people will encounter when they join the business. With this in mind, it’s important I give them a good impression – so I need to make sure I’m smiling, full of energy and plenty of positivity is shared throughout the day. 

What’s your most memorable work moment? 

There are so many to choose from! Every day is different here at Clarity. If I had to choose, one that springs to mind would be presenting at the Guild of Travel Management Companies Domestic Conference, where I spoke to key players in our industry about the importance and benefits of apprenticeships.

What do you love most about your job? 

What I love most about my job is the interaction I have with colleagues and external key people in the business travel industry. I enjoy helping and supporting Clarity and all our staff to learn and develop and achieve success. To help provide people with the opportunity to improve and better their future really is amazing. 

If you haven’t already, check out our latest vlog and watch Neil in action: