Career Switch: Meet Charlotte

At AXA, we encourage all our colleagues to grow their careers by exploring roles they’re interested in. This time on Career Switch, find out how Charlotte took on a new challenge, switching from Public Affairs to Risk & Compliance at AXA. 

What is your job at AXA, and how long have you been here?  
My job role is Risk Manager for the CRO Office (formerly Public Affairs Manager), and I’ve been with AXA since October 2021.    

What do you do in your role?  
It’s still a learning curve, but as Risk Manager for the CRO Office I’m responsible for the coordination and delivery of the quarterly reporting process for Risk & Compliance teams across Retail, Commercial, and Health, and identifying and shaping key messages for the Risk & Compliance senior leadership team. 

Tell us your career background up to the point of your career switch. 
My background is in public affairs and policy development, having studied political science and history at university.  

I held several public affairs roles at a non-profit where I became responsible for the company’s engagement with government, large corporates, and charities to promote the value of physical activity for our health, economy, and social connectedness.  

I joined AXA in 2021 as Public Affairs Manager, where my role was to create content in areas including sustainability, as well as buildings and planning to influence government policy and position AXA as a leading industry voice.  

In November 2022, I also became Deputy Chair of AXA’s Balance Employee Network, where I’ve had a lot of fun with some wonderful colleagues, coordinating the network’s activities and running campaigns for major awareness days such as International Women’s Day. This role enabled me to meet people from different parts of the business and get a sense of other job areas that might interest me.   

What was the process for switching your career? 
While I really enjoyed my role in public affairs, I knew I’d eventually want to try something different within AXA, but I didn’t know where to go next.   

Through my work at Balance, I met people in the Risk & Compliance function who were kind enough to talk to me about their roles. That got me thinking about this area as an option for the next step in my career.   

When I was made aware that a job became available at the CRO office, I applied and the rest is history. I did my best to draw out the transferrable skills I’d be able to apply to the role, having had no previous experience in Risk. 

What challenges did you face during your career switch? 
Switching roles internally can be tricky, especially when leaving a small team. The biggest challenge I faced was wearing two hats for a few months and getting to grips with the new role. It will take a few months to feel fully settled in, but the team has been really helpful in making sure I’m not completely overwhelmed or left to my own devices! 

Did you feel supported during your career switch? 
My colleagues were really supportive, and everyone I’ve met in the new team was super welcoming. It’s made my transition that much easier and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

What is the value of a company offering career flexibility? 
It’s so important to me! As someone who enjoys trying new things and not being ‘put in a box’, it’s been great to work for a company where that kind of curiosity is actively enabled and celebrated. 

What advice would you give to others who are thinking about switching roles? 
Talk to people to get a sense of the role you’re considering – my experience at AXA is that most people are very open to having conversations about career changes and switching roles. When you’re certain you’ve found something that you're interested in or would help you progress in your career, go for it!

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