This blog post was inspired by a recent invitation I received to speak at a careers fair for sixth-formers at my old school. Reflecting on my journey—from my early days in corporate learning to running my own training and coaching business—was a powerful reminder of the key lessons I’ve learned along the way. As I prepared to share my career story with the students, I realised these lessons aren’t just relevant for those starting their careers but also for seasoned professionals. So in this post, I’d like to take you through the milestones that shaped my career and share the insights I’ve gained, particularly around mentorship, entrepreneurship, and aligning personal growth with organisational success.
My Corporate Career: Learning the Foundations of People Development
After graduating with a degree in Physiology, I began my career at P&G in product development. My claim to fame? I launched the Bold Liquid and Bold Ultra washing products. While I quickly realised that working with washing powders wasn’t my passion, two experiences shaped the direction of my career.
First, I was fortunate to have a mentor named Mike. He encouraged me to get involved in graduate recruitment, leading me to facilitate a training programme for PhD students. This experience ignited my passion for learning and development. Second, I volunteered to deliver internal training programmes at P&G, which further highlighted how much I enjoyed training and facilitation.
When I realised that I preferred people to washing powder, I looked for opportunities to move into HR within P&G but none were available. Instead, I took voluntary redundancy and, thanks to P&G’s generous outplacement support, had the opportunity to work with a career coach. At 27, I was confident—perhaps even cocky—but my coach offered critical advice that shaped my future:
“You care about your career, but organisations care about their business. You need to connect what you want with what the organisation needs to develop your career.”
That insight paved the way for my first training role.
My next major step was joining Prontaprint as National Training Manager. Although I had never managed a training operation before, this role taught me three vital lessons:
- Apply your skills not just to what you’ve done before but to new challenges.
- Ensure training initiatives deliver real business value, especially for small business owners.
- Recognise that organisational culture plays a critical role in shaping effective learning and development.
Later, when I joined Accenture, my career progressed steadily. I was eventually asked to take on the role of International Learning and Development Director at Avanade, a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft, a role that inspired my first book Grow Your Geeks. A Handbook for Developing Leaders in High-Tech Organisations. This was where I truly learned the value of mentorship and building strong relationships which are critical in any role or profession.
My final corporate position was with XL Insurance as International Training and Organisational Development Director. In total, I spent 20 fulfilling years in corporate learning and development, working for industry leaders like P&G, Accenture, Avanade, and XL Insurance. Throughout that time, I experienced the powerful impact of training on both individuals and the organisations they served.
Transitioning to Self-Employment and Entrepreneurship: Taking the Leap
As my corporate career advanced, I found myself increasingly drawn to the idea of working for myself. The opportunity came when my husband and I relocated to Newcastle to be closer to his son. Realising there were few international L&D roles available locally, I saw it as the perfect time to take the plunge into self-employment.
I reached out to a leadership development consultant I had worked with and asked for mentorship. His response was unexpected: “Why don’t you join my consultancy as a partner?” Though I had been set on launching my own business, the prospect of joining forces with an experienced partner felt like a safer way to make the leap. Looking back, it was the best decision I could have made. It allowed me to learn the ropes of consulting without the immediate pressure of having to secure clients on my own, and I wasn’t navigating self-employment alone.
However, this experience also taught me an important lesson about business partnerships. They can be complex and, at times, fragile. The partnership eventually dissolved due to conflicts between other partners, and in 2012, I officially launched my own company, Antoinette Oglethorpe Ltd.
Running a Successful Training and Coaching Company
Running a successful training and coaching business has been both challenging and rewarding. Over the years, I’ve learned that aligning our vision, mission, and values with the needs of our clients is key to success. By focusing on helping organisations support their employees’ career development, we’ve attracted major organisations committed to growth.
Embracing technology has allowed us to scale our impact globally. Our training and coaching programmes have reached employees across the world, making development accessible and engaging for a diverse audience. The power of virtual learning cannot be overstated—especially in today’s interconnected world.
Lessons Learned and Advice for Sixth-Formers
Reflecting on my journey, I identified several key lessons to share with the sixth-formers I was talking to who are just starting to think about their future careers:
1. Embrace new opportunities (even unexpected ones)
Just like I discovered my passion for learning and development through roles I didn’t initially expect to love, it’s important to stay open to different experiences. Sixth-formers should try new things, whether it’s a part-time job, a project, or volunteering. Every experience, even the ones that seem unrelated to your ultimate goals, can teach you something valuable about yourself and your future career.
2. Build relationships and seek mentors
Mentorship played a huge role in my career, and is now an important part of my business. Sixth-formers can begin building relationships now by seeking advice from teachers, family friends, or professionals in fields that interest them. A mentor can help guide them, offer perspective, and open doors to opportunities they may not have considered.
3. Learn from setbacks
In the early days of my career, I made a few missteps and had moments of overconfidence as well as uncertainty. But each of those moments taught me something important. Sixth-formers should understand that setbacks are a natural part of any career journey. Rather than fear failure, they should view it as an opportunity to grow and build resilience.
4. Develop both hard and soft skills
Throughout my career, from P&G to my own business, I learned that success is about more than just technical knowledge. Soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability are essential. Sixth-formers should focus on developing these skills, which will help them in any industry they choose to pursue.
5. Keep learning and stay curious
Lifelong learning has been a constant in my journey, from corporate roles to running my own business. The world is constantly changing, and the most successful people are those who stay curious and committed to learning. I encourage sixth-formers to view education as an ongoing process, both in and out of school.
6. Take charge of your career
One of the biggest lessons I learned from my career coach was that you have to connect what you want with what the organisation or industry needs. Sixth-formers should be proactive in managing their careers by identifying their strengths and interests, and seeking out opportunities that align with them. The earlier they take ownership of their career path, the better positioned they’ll be for success.
7. Align passion with purpose
I realised my passion for helping people through learning and development, and I’ve been fortunate to build a career around that. For sixth-formers, it’s important to reflect on what they enjoy and what they’re good at, and think about how they can align that with their career choices. Finding work that brings both passion and purpose is key to long-term fulfilment.
While my focus at the Careers Fair was sixth-formers, I think many of these lessons are just as relevant for seasoned professionals, don’t you?
Empowering Growth and Ownership
Defining and owning your career can be tough—for many employees, it’s hard to know where to start. The Career Compass Workshop helps employees gain clarity on their strengths, explore options, and prepare for meaningful career conversations with their managers.
