Meet Agathe Merat - Gumtree's Head of Delivery

Our October Talent Tuesday is Agathe Merat, Gumtree's Head of Delivery. Read on to find out Agathe's career journey and her advice to others looking at similar roles.

What does a normal workday look like for you?

My days are very varied. Depending on the projects or initiatives we prioritise, I can either be involved in the daily details or supporting on the high level. One thing that is clear is that I have a lot of meetings, around a dozen on a daily basis. I try to spend as much time as possible supporting my amazing team of Delivery Leads as well as supporting the other Product & Tech leaders in working towards our long term goals.

What’s been your biggest success and biggest challenges in your time at Gumtree?

Delivering TSAs as part of our separation from our previous owner is by far the biggest challenge I faced at Gumtree, and I can say the biggest challenge of my entire career. But also probably the biggest success. I often tell my team that we made real magic during TSA and we should be proud. We delivered over 30 projects, hired 85 people, created 3 entire departments, all in the span of 1.5 years. It wasn’t an easy task but was very rewarding in the end.

What do you enjoy most about your position and what skill has helped you succeed?

My favourite part is working with people. I enjoy helping people and teams find the most optimal way to collaborate with one another. Delivery is all about soft skills, you don’t actually manage the initiatives or teams as much as the people working within them but you are not a people manager. We bring visibility and insight into the health of initiatives and teams. The key is to empower people and encourage them to do what is best for themselves and the business.

What advice would you give to others looking to become a Scrum Master - particularly women, as just 33% of people in this role are female?

Start with the Agile Scrum Master certification. The training will give you the strong basics to be able to do the role, then it is all about common sense. The key to this role is to always be looking for ways to improve productivity where it needs improving and accept that every team is different and has different needs. One process might work well for one team and completely fail for another. I often say that I am a strong Agile evangelist but I will happily burn the manifesto if the rule is going against productivity.

How would you like to shape your role in the future?

I believe Delivery Excellence could benefit every team and departments. We are currently only supporting product and tech teams but I would love to see the whole organisation benefit from Delivery support in their day to day execution, their projects and general best practices.