Powered by Xcellence: Meet Ailsa Harper

At Nexos Group, our people are at the heart of everything we do. 

Powered by Xcellence is a series dedicated to celebrating the people behind our business, sharing their stories, experiences and achievements.

In our first feature, we meet Ailsa Harper, our Proposals Lead, to learn more about her career journey, leadership experiences and what excites her most about the future of Nexos Group. From bringing people together and developing winning proposals to leading Huntly FC Women's Team to league victory as captain, Ailsa's story reflects on the teamwork, dedication and drive that powers our business every day.

1. Can you tell us about your career journey and what led you to your current role as Proposal Lead?

My career journey has taken me through several different areas of business. While studying for both my Honours degree and Master’s, I worked in roles covering Supply Chain and Finance, which gave me a broad understanding of how different functions contribute to the success of an organisation.

In 2022, I moved into Bids and Proposals and quickly realised that it was the right fit for me. I enjoy bringing together people, information, and ideas to create a compelling solution, while managing the competing priorities and tight deadlines that come with the role. 

2. What originally brought you to Nexos, and what has kept you here?

There were a couple of things that originally attracted me to Nexos. The role itself represented a step forward in my career, offering greater responsibility and the opportunity to work in a new and fast paced environment.

I was also drawn to the energy surrounding the business. There were a lot of positive stories about its people, projects, growth, and ambitions, which created a real sense of excitement. Working in Proposals, it certainly helps to represent a company that has strong capabilities and genuine success stories to promote.

What has kept me here is the continued opportunity to develop, take on new challenges and contribute to the direction of the business. Opportunities have varied across different disciplines, markets and sectors and I have been trusted with increasing responsibility throughout my time here. I also enjoy working alongside people from across the organisation and seeing how their knowledge and experience come together to shape the solutions we offer our clients.

3. How have you grown professionally  and what are some of the key skills you’ve developed?

I have grown in both confidence and capability during my time at Nexos. One of the most important skills I’ve developed is stakeholder management. Proposals involves working with people across every level and function of the business, often under significant time pressure. I’ve learned how to bring those different perspectives together, challenge constructively and maintain focus on the overall objective. 

Overall, I have become more comfortable making decisions, taking ownership and leading teams through complex and demanding situations.

4. Is there a project, achievement, or moment in your career here that you're particularly proud of, and why?

Whilst it’s always a huge sense of achievement when a time demanding, high value, complex bid is submitted, one achievement I am particularly proud of is completing the Emerging Leaders programme. It gave me the opportunity to step outside of my everyday role, reflect on my leadership style and better understand how I can support and influence others. It increased my confidence in my own abilities whilst also highlighting the areas in which I want to continue developing.

Completing the programme alongside colleagues from different areas of the business was also particularly valuable as it gave me a wider appreciation of the organisation and the range of people, skills, and perspectives within it. It was an important milestone in my career and has helped prepare me for the next stage of my development.

5. Looking ahead as we become Nexos Group, what opportunities or ambitions are you most excited about for yourself and the wider business?

As we become Nexos Group, I am excited by the opportunity to bring together the capabilities, experience and success stories from across the wider organisation. We have a much stronger position when we combine our specialties and present clients with integrated solutions supported by the scale and expertise of the Group.

From a proposals perspective, this creates an opportunity to pursue larger and more diverse projects, share knowledge more effectively and showcase the very best of every part of the business.

Personally, I want to continue developing as a leader, take greater ownership of strategic opportunities and contribute to how the Group approaches growth and business development. It is an exciting time to be part of the organisation, and I am looking forward to playing a role in shaping what comes next.

6. As captain of Huntly Women FC, how have the leadership skills you’ve developed on the pitch translated into your role at Nexos Group?

Being the captain of Huntly Women FC has developed a lot of the same leadership skills I use every day at Nexos Group. On the pitch, you need to communicate clearly, keep people focused, understand different personalities and make decisions under pressure and for me, I find that translates well into leading bids and coordinating multidisciplinary teams.

Football has also strengthened my resilience - whether it’s reacting to having a bad performance or losing an important game, this is relevant with dealing with the pressure of a major tender. You have to reset quickly and stay focused on what you can influence. In both environments I’ve learned that a strong team, clear communication and a shared sense of purpose make a huge difference to the end result.

Ailsa's journey highlights the value of embracing new opportunities, continually developing your skills and supporting those around you to succeed.

A huge thank you to Ailsa for sharing her story. We'll be continuing our Powered by Xcellence series by shining a spotlight on more of the talented people across Nexos Group who help make our business stronger every day.