Meet Neil Pickford, Client Relations

How did you end up in your current role?

I joined The Ortus Club around 6 months after I arrived in the Philippines from Australia. I fell in love with the country and soon after arriving I met Sam, one of the company’s co-owners. I was really impressed with The Ortus Club, especially when I heard about the level of events they were responsible for organising.

I joined the team in January 2020, just before the world turned upside down, and I was lucky enough to be able to attend one of the last in-person knowledge-sharing dinners we hosted pre-pandemic in Sydney. When I started out, I was in a sales support role which was a fantastic way to learn about The Ortus Club’s executive events and our wonderful clients. Now, I have progressed into a Client Director role.

What does a typical day at The Ortus Club look like?

My typical day usually starts with me trying to get online earlier than the rest so I can get a quiet hour of planning or managing emails before things get busy at 9am.

Then it’s a mix of managing upcoming projects with our Guesting Directors and meetings with existing clients or potential clients to discuss new and current knowledge-sharing opportunities.

What do you find most challenging about your role at The Ortus Club?

The most challenging part for me is making sure I balance my time between my tasks and responsibilities. I enjoy doing research and the other tasks involved in the outreach stage of our events, but it can be very easy to get sucked in when things get busy and then suddenly the day has finished.

What’s one thing you are excited about, thinking about the future of Ortus?

The Ortus Club started as a small company, but growth has been so fast. Just last year, even with the onset of a pandemic, we managed to reach our 500th event! To continue this growth, we will need to recruit more staff, and I am looking forward to bringing them onboard, helping them to maximise their potential, as well as that of the company.

What is your Ortus superpower?

I think being able to reset my stress levels quite quickly. Honestly, I think it’s because of the amount of plants I have! When working from home, you can spend a lot of time in front of your screen, which has been especially true over the past year due to lockdown. In my spare time, I like to grow my own salads and collect plants from the places I visit, so when I feel I need to take a break, I do some gardening or seed some salad trays and that does the job. It is a very addictive and calming hobby.

How would you describe Ortus in three words?

Agile, Ambitious and Extravagant. Agile because we have had to constantly adapt and change. For example, we had to quickly adapt our events during the pandemic in order to continue meeting our clients’ needs. Ambitious because we are a young team of very driven individuals. We are growing fast and working with some of the best companies in the world, so everyone has a great buzz about them. Extravagant because it’s great to work with a variety of cultures and people. Filipinos are truly the most friendly, open and extravagant people I have ever met.

What’s your secret talent that no one knows about?

A secret talent that no one knows about is that I was a bit of a childhood star. I starred as Macbeth in “Macbeth” at my prep school.

When you’re searching for new clients, what factors are deal-breakers for you?

I love connecting with people who are really passionate about the topics they want to discuss during their knowledge-sharing event. When there is excitement from the client, you know that the event we create around it will be full of life.