Pomegranite’s new Operations Manager

By Sarah

It’s been so interesting seeing the different evolutions of Pomegranite over the years, as the business has grown, as the team has expanded, and as our lives have changed along with it all.

This year has felt, more than any before, like a new era for Pomegranite. With Liz about to go on maternity leave (a Pomegranite baby, guys!), the idea of another pair of hands to help run the business was very attractive. But, even beyond Liz’s time away, it made so much sense to have a central, holding role within the business. An Operations Manager.

We advertised the role, and received many (many) applications from a diverse pool of wonderful applicants. But there was one application that came from a different angle – and caused much elation.

It was from our very own Project Manager, Melissa, who, at the time, was on maternity leave and so we had given her plenty of space. As we learned that she was interested, we cross referenced the job spec with her skillset and experience, with everything we knew about her after the years we’ve worked together, with the bedrock of trust we have built with her through those years, with the wonderfully open and honest conversations we could have with her during the interview process, the words we kept coming back to were – of course! Of course it’s Melissa.

It was – IS – just. So. Right.

When we told the team the great news, there were air punches, there were squeals, there were eyes damp with gratitude (mine).

Of course it’s Melissa.

Anja, our wonderful Social Media Strategist, said an interesting thing in that meeting. She thought it was quite unusual for a company to give someone, essentially, a big promotion right after their maternity leave.

I suppose some companies lose faith in team members’ commitment when they go through a big life change like becoming a mother. Perhaps the prospect of allowing the flexibility to be both a brilliant employee and a parent seems inconvenient. The statistics show how corporate growth can decline for women with families. But we aren’t a corporate business. We are of our own making, and make decisions based on our own experience. Have you met a mother on a mission? She gets it done.

Also, more specifically, have you met Melissa? She is an absolute force. Even her pre-scheduled systems-related emails that magically appeared in our inboxes during her leave made it feel like her spirit moved among us, which was immensely comforting.

It’s been so wonderful to have her back at work, to meet her adorable baby, Ben (no really, he’s unreasonably cute), and to begin the process of onboarding into the Operations Manager role.

I can say, with such confidence, that she’s going to be incredible. I mean, can you even imagine the spreadsheets that will emerge from this?

Congratulations, Melissa! We are so lucky to have you.