Resident in Focus: Victoria Coulter, Operations Manager at Ignite N.I

This month we welcomed a new face to our Ormeau Baths family - Victoria Coulter, stepping in as Operations Manager at Ignite N.I. We caught up with Victoria to find out more about her work with Ignite, her favourite career resources as well as who her dream business mentors are.

Name & role: Victoria Coulter, Operations Manager at Ignite N.I.

Company elevator pitch: Ignite N.I. supports founders from idea stage through to investment, helping startups to refine their concept, gain traction, and build scalable businesses.  As part of this, we run two accelerator programs, supporting 30 companies on a yearly basis.

Business/career goal for 2020: I only recently joined the team at Ignite N.I., so my immediate focus is to gain a better understanding of the company and to continue building on the existing Ignite community.

What excites you most about your role? The opportunity to meet new people and to have a small part to play in a company that’s operating on a global scale.

Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you: I’m passionate about rowing.  I took it up at University and rowed competitively for a number of years.  I took a break from the sport when I graduated but I couldn’t stay away for long and have since become a member of Belfast Boat Club.

Name one resource (book, podcast, publication etc) that has had an impact on your approach to business/career: I recently finished the book ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight which was brilliant.  I also love listening to the podcast ‘How to Fail With Elizabeth Day’ where she chats to a range of high profile guests about their failures, and how their setbacks shape their success.

If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be? 

The ability to speak multiple languages.  I love to travel but I always scrape by with a mixture of basic phrases, google translate and a lot of acting out.

What’s the biggest career lesson you’ve learned so far? 

A happy workplace is a productive workplace.

Who is your dream business mentor?

I would love to meet Grace Beverley, founder of sustainable fashion brand Tala.  I’ve been following Grace’s journey for a while and what she's managed to achieve at 23 years old is incredible.  I would also love to be mentored by Sara Blakely, founder and CEO of Spanx.  Sara champions women in business and is a big believer in self-confidence, embracing your insecurities and just going for it.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs/business owners right now?

After a tough few months and potentially more uncertainty ahead, it’s important to keep looking out for each other and to celebrate the little victories.