Roxanne moved to the UK in 1995 to study for a postgraduate degree in IT and Business Systems at Manchester Metropolitan University. After graduating from university Roxanne spent over 10 years working in the retail, banking and finance sectors gaining wide experience in business consultancy and project management. Roxanne says: 'My last position was with the Corporate Banking Division at HBOS where I worked as a Project Manager delivering high value, strategic solutions.

'But after ten years in the retail and banking sector I started to crave a new challenge. I felt like the time was right for me to move into a new field of business and possibly set up on my own and that is when I discovered ORCA. I now operate the Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme, Hazel Grove and Heald Green franchises of ORCA Websites and my role is to find clients in my local area who would benefit from launching or improving a website.'

Working for ORCA has similarities with her previous job in project management and Roxanne frequently uses skills used in her previous career in banking and finance. Roxanne adds: 'I have certain key skills that many people in seemingly unrelated backgrounds will also have that I can transfer to my new career with ORCA. In project management you would look at the ultimate goals of the project and work out how best to deliver them and it's very similar in terms of building website for local businesses in that respect.

'The fact that I have come to web consultancy from a corporate rather than a technical IT background hasn't hindered me at all. As a web consultant it is my role to act as an interface between the client and the web design team at ORCA headquarters. I spent time with the customers discussing exactly what they want from their website and from this I produce a detailed brief for the design team who make the website to these specifications. The result is a highly personalised site, which accurately conveys the true sense of a business. My experience in strategic solutions helps me identify which businesses in my area might benefit from an increased online presence and what kind of functionality on a website each client might benefit from.

'A lot of people assume branded, quality websites which rank high on the search engines must cost a fortune, but as the ORCA concept was built with small businesses in mind they are very affordable. And even then, we offer them the opportunity to spread the cost of their investment over six months. By about month three if they're selling online, they're usually in the money; a good website can pay for itself in new business generated in a matter of weeks.

'My background is working in big business, but every multi-million pound enterprise started life as a small business, so I'm delighted to be helping local firms to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the big brands by using the web as an effective business tool. I enjoy having the ability to help local businesses in my area grow and capitalise on the benefits of the internet. Best of all, I get to meet new people everyday and build good relationships that last.'

Published: 24 November 2008

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