“All the world’s a stage…” not the opening words you would expect when talking about a manager in our Planning Team but there is no doubt that Paul’s role as Chair of the Epsom Players certainly has similarities with his day job.
As Development Manager at Elmbridge, Paul is responsible for the processing of hundreds of planning applications and investigating alleged breaches of planning control in Elmbridge, which, as you would expect, involves organisation, innovation and diplomacy to name but a few key skills. To direct his latest play, “Handbagged” - about Margaret Thatcher’s weekly meetings with the Queen - Paul also needs to call on his skills of organisation, innovation and diplomacy.
Paul is definitely someone who gets involved; you won’t see him sitting on the side-lines and that is the advice he gives to all the people in his team - get involved, look for your transferable skills and volunteer to gain more experience, after all as Shakespeare tells us, “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”