I’ve decided to readjust my current trajectory and will be leaving my job as Project Manager Analytics at Yourposition AG and step down as partner at the consultancy Blair & Partner / Navigator Consulting.
There were obviously many variables involved in my decision, though, foremost, I wanted to re-focus my professional development.
Bye, Yourposition
After almost three years at Yourposition AG in Zürich, Switzerland, I’ve decided that I need to move forward. Hence, I’ll be leaving towards the end of February.
In my role as Project Manager Analytics as part of the Data / Digital Analytics team, I worked on quite a few exciting things, from implementing enterprise digital analytics solutions, over data analytics and business intelligence consulting, to technical SEO and UX. During that time I also had the opportunity to hold workshops, lecture at universities, and organize – albeit independently – the AnalyticsCamp Switzerland.
With all the things going on, a major factor for my decision to submit my resignation was, however, the lack of professional development. There is always something to learn, to be learned. So I cannot say I did not learn anything, nor that my time at the Swiss digital agency has not been interesting. Quite the contrary. Yet, the Swiss market is quite insular. Which can be blessing and a curse at the same time. With the tremendous speed that the digital industry is moving forward, it is partially a hindering factor. Hence, my learning curve in regards to professional development flattened out over the last couple of months.
Though there were some opportunities to change roles within the company, I decided against it. The proposed changes from the management would have been more inward-focused, which, I think, would’ve worsened the insularity.
Bye, Blair & Partner
In addition to my decision to leave Yourposition AG, I have also decided to step down from my role as a partner at the consultancy Blair & Partner towards the end of the year.
Blair & Partner is the European representation of Navigator Consulting, a boutique consultancy focusing on North American site selection, market entry, and economic development consulting. With the current changes in the US economy, projects have changed and demand for economic development services within the US is rising. This means the company’s focus is shifting somewhat.
Since I worked for Blair & Partner alongside my role at Yourposition, as well as some occasional freelance project, my workload was quite high at times. With the shift in company focus, I have decided that it is currently better to step down. The other partners suggested a more passive role, though, I’d rather have a clear cut to not have something in the back of my mind at times.
At Blair & Partner I am or was chiefly responsible for all things digital – from Content and Website Management, over Marketing and Media Design, to IT Administration and Development. Hence, it was more an inward-focused development role. My leaving will therefore decrease expenses, but not impact client relationships directly. Furthermore, I will remain an ambassador and consultant to Blair & Partner / Navigator Consulting – just not as a partner.
[Update 2018-02-28: I’ve updated this post to reflect my decision to stay in Zurich due to family reasons.]