Walking the Walk

An integral lead in TalkTalk’s Women in Tech employee network, Denise Maskew tells her own career story and how she’s navigated an industry largely dominated by males. We spoke to Denise for International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is ‘inspire inclusion’ and Denise perfectly embodies both of these terms. She tells us how the power of networks and mentoring have shaped her path, and why everybo...

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and this year’s theme is anxiety. The annual campaign is an opportunity for us to open up and start conversations, while increasing awareness and understanding of anxiety. But not just for one week… TalkTalk’s Talent Acquisition Business Partner, Chris Pope is somebody who stands by this – working to support others all year round. He is a facilitator at on...

This Autism Acceptance Month, we spoke to Ian Kenworthy. Ian is a People Operations Administrator who joined TalkTalk via the Employ Autism programme, which was created alongside TalkTalk’s long-standing charity partner Ambitious About Autism. He tells guest presenter Kacee how the role was recommended to him and the reasons why he chose TalkTalk - due to the inclusive culture. Employ Autism is pr...

Do you really know your colleagues? Today we learned that Dean, our Enterprise New Business Sales Executive, can read minds… so naturally we’re slightly nervous when he’s around now.   Fresh from the annual Magic Convention in Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens, we spoke to Dean on the latest episode of Walking the Walk to find out exactly what it means to be in the ‘Magic Circle’ and how he juggle...

#BeMoreSam – it may have just been a mid-podcast joke, but TalkTalk’s Equality & Future Talent Manager Sam Davys returned from maternity leave to find out she’s been awarded an MBE. In the King’s first ever honours list. And as one of the youngest recipients, what an achievement! In the latest episode of Walking the Walk, Sam explains how all her hard work, goal setting and goal getting had le...

It’s Dyslexic Awareness Month and in the latest episode of Walking the Walk we speak to TalkTalk’s Service Improvement Manager Ashling Middleditch. As a child, Ashling faced challenges such a concentration and presentation – but performed highly academically and with interpersonal skills, being curious and problem solving. In her late 20s, she was diagnosed with Dyslexia, something she refers to a...

In this week’s episode of Walking the Walk, guest presenter Kacee Fennelly talks to Drew Cockton, founder of the North West LGBTQ+ Business Awards, and Todd Bennett, chair of TalkTalk’s LGBTQ+ network TalkPride. Together, they discuss challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in business and explore how opportunities like these awards are important to continue supporting and shining a light on the...

In the latest episode of Walking the Walk, guest presenter Kacee Fennelly speaks to Hannah Nunn from Kickstart Coffee. TalkTalk’s Salford HQ has updated its Quayside restaurant offering for employees, and part of this sees the introduction of Kickstart Coffee – a not-for-profit coffee which funds children’s education in Uganda. The sale of coffee at TalkTalk is currently paying for two teachers as...

“…in this digital world… being a jack of all trades is the best because you’re bringing in a pool of skills and that’s exciting in any organisation…”. In this week’s podcast, presenter Dominic Laurie interviews TalkTalk’s first female Field Engineer Patience Ali. As a child, Patience was introduced to the world of telephone lines and engineering with her father in Zimbabwe – and after a wealth of...

Throughout Volunteering Week 2022, we spoke to Vicki Jones – Programme Manager at TalkTalk. Vicki has been at St John Ambulance volunteer for over eight years – something she’s very passionate about. Before embarking on her career in tech, Vicki had a strong interest in becoming a paramedic so volunteering alongside her day job allows her to succeed in both her career and her dream.   Vicki says m...

Presenter Dominic Laurie speaks to Carolyn Bunting, CEO of Internet Matters, which partners with TalkTalk and other Internet Service Providers to help parents with advice on how their children can go online safely. As well as having a busy career, Carolyn is a mum of a boy with autism. She tells Dominic some great advice on how to get and manage the diagnosis, and then move forward to create a fun...

Presenter Dominic Laurie speaks to Rachel Ledson from TalkTalk’s Neurodiversity employee network and Emilie Fellingham from TalkTalk’s charity partner Ambitious about Autism. Together, they explore how neurodiversity affects everybody differently. And how we can tailor our approach to people and challenge ourselves - to be more inclusive, kind and flexible. To support and accommodate everybody’s n...

In this week’s podcast, presenter Dominic Laurie speaks to Sales Optimisation Specialist and TalkNeurodiversity employee network member Kelly Lee about the challenges she faced when getting an Autism diagnosis for her son Leighton. Kelly shares her story with us during World Autism Acceptance Month to help others and give advice to anybody else who may be experiencing a similar challenge – but hig...

In this week’s podcast, presenter Dominic Laurie speaks to one of the UK’s leading online security experts Jamie Woodruff about the risks online – and how we can keep ourselves safe. As we continue to increase our online presence, through work and play, the secure ownership of our digital assets, settings and passwords is vital. And the creation of new 3D virtual worlds through the metaverse bring...

This week is National Apprenticeship Week 2022 – a time for us all to celebrate learners, wherever and whatever they may be studying. At all levels. TalkTalk has over 100 employees studying for apprenticeship qualifications across the business. In this week’s podcast, presenter Dominic Laurie speaks to Karen Quinn - from apprenticeship provider Raise The Bar - and TalkTalk apprentice Catherine Hak...

This week, TalkTalk progressed its commitment to good employment within the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter – upgrading to Membership status. This means TalkTalk puts that commitment into action and excels in all the required characteristics. In the latest episode of Walking The Walk, presenter Dominic Laurie talks to Carol Halford, Manager at Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter,...

The Timpson Foundation was set up by Timpson CEO James Timpson to rehabilitate prison leavers with supported employment. So much so that over 10% of its workforce is now made up of prison leavers. They have a strong belief for giving people a second chance. The risk-assessment and interview process includes a full disclosure and existing colleagues have embraced the work culture that the team has...

Two women with similar first names run TalkTalk. One is our CEO Tristia Harrison. The other is Trish, who looks after the catering team, and therefore looks after all of us too.  She is a great personality and known to anyone who works at our HQ Soapworks. In our last Walking the Walk this year, we hear from someone who has had to adapt more than most to these extraordinary circumstances we have b...

Recent COVID guidance means many people will be spending more time working from home during the day, with potentially more nights in streaming and gaming. When you add on big events like Amazon football, we expect broadband usage on our network to significantly increase over the coming weeks. We’ve invested in our network capacity over the pandemic to ensure we keep customers connected in periods...

Ever imagined that your day-to-day work could translate into stand-up comedy? Martina Cotichella did just that. TalkTalk’s Product Portfolio Manager says ‘it’s all about developing a product, and differentiating your product from the rest of the comedians’ and ‘being really agile’. Martina talks to presenter Dominic Laurie about how she turned a big and personally distressing life change into come...

New technology is on our doorstep – and it’s exciting! Presenter Dominic Laurie chats with tech futurologist Jason Bradbury (who you may recognise from ch5’s The Gadget Show!) about what we should expect with everything ‘smart’ as technology and products get their ‘digital brain’. And, with the number of devices on the sharp increase, he talks about how important broadband and bandwidth are to ens...

COP26 stands for Conference of the Parties and is a summit of world leaders who come together to discuss how to combat climate change. As the name suggests, this is the 26th in the series. People often remember COP21, where global leaders formed the Paris Agreement. The ambition of COP26 is to make fresh commitments to drastically cut emissions and keep temperature rises to 1.5 degrees above pre-i...

Black History Month conversations are important to help us to connect and create inclusive workplaces where everyone can be themselves. Empower is TalkTalk's employee network focused on race and ethnicity, helping to ensure the true representation of black, Asian and ethnic minority individuals at all levels of the business. The network creates a safe space to educate, celebrate and elevate collea...

Ffion isn’t just working a full-time job in HR. She’s a parent. And she’s studying for a Masters degree.   Last year, Ffion started working on her dissertation – with a focus on the Menopause. There are around 34 recognised symptoms of the Menopause but they aren’t often discussed. Many of these can affect people in the workplace. Emotional changes, sleep deprivation and confidence decrease are ju...

Last weekend, Charlotte completed her first ever marathon. She pushed herself to her limits and it was all for a fantastic cause. The Miscarriage Association charity. A charity close to Charlotte’s heart.   Charlotte opens up to presenter Dominic Laurie about her struggles with pregnancy – her first sadly resulting in miscarriage. And how it was something she dealt with in private. But Charlotte i...