Name: Rupa Chandarana
Location: Leicester
Role: Regional Planning Manager
How long have you been at Riverside? 18 years

What are your main responsibilities at Riverside?
I manage a team of six split between Leicester and Dartford, delivering the Regional Planning function. That means understanding our Neighbourhoods, their needs and the things we are to trying to achieve as an organisation. I also manage the administrative team who provide support to the regional offices.

What does a typical day look like for you?
My typical day is a lot different now because of the pandemic. A typical day consists of video meeting with internal or external stakeholders discussing project plans, ideas with lots of collaboration. My day also includes 1-1s and team catch ups.

I make sure that I don’t remain seated for too long and take breaks away from the screen. I also work from the local (Leicester) office once a week to meet with my administrative team whilst following social distance guidelines.

How has COVID-19 changed your role?
My role has changed a great deal as before my schedule would include travelling to other parts of the country to collaborate with colleagues about projects and plans or meet with my members of my team based in Dartford. Also, before Covid, I would work from the Leicester office a few days a week and liaise my team on a face to face basis.

What are Riverside’s customers like?
Our customers are our key focus and everything we do is shaped around improving our services for them and many of our customers engaged with Riverside to help us shape our services.

What do you like about Riverside’s approach to ensuring a diverse workplace?
I think Riverside is a great place to work with a team centric approach. I like that we take proactive steps to handle and manage ways by encouraging a diverse workplace. This is reflected in many ways such as having regional Equality & Diversity Inclusion plans for staff and customers.

What would you say if recommending working at Riverside to a friend?
Go for it!