Olivia Dunnett,

JCI Scotland, Vice President

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Olivia Dunnett, 26 and from Edinburgh. I currently work for Lloyds Bank as a software Engineer and have been in IT for around 5 years now. The start of my career journey seen me leaving school at a very young age straight into the world of work starting off in a small law firm as an admin assistant, during that time I really wished I continued with my education so I decided to start studying for my degree in Computing and IT with the Open University part time whilst continuing to work full time. This was a long 6-year journey which took me from the Law firm into an accounts role with a chartered surveyors then into my apprenticeship with Lloyds bank, onto a Java developer and eventually graduating with my degree in 2016.

Throughout juggling Uni and work the one thing that kept me going was JCI, 2 years into my degree, I joined JCI Edinburgh at 20 and as it gave me so much out of it personally and professionally within the first 6 months I started another journey with them at the same time. I have been on the board of directors for 4 years and became Local President in 2017. This year I am immediate Past President of Edinburgh and Deputy National President for JCI Scotland leading to National President in 2018.

So what is JCI?

JCI stands for Junior Chamber International and we are world-wide organisation of young active citizens aged between 18 to 40. We help develop individuals personally and professionally through a wide range of opportunities. Networking on a local, national and international level, Personal and professional training from evening courses to full leadership academies, Leadership opportunities to take on board positions. Helping make a difference in their local community through running projects that create impact and much more. We are in over 110 countries worldwide and have over 150,000 members.

Who can join JCI

Anyone can join JCI who is aged between 18-40. A lot of people join for one reason but remain a member for many more reasons. Whether you are looking to increase your network or get hands on with a community project or boost your career, JCI has it all and it’s a very supportive environment which helps take you out your comfort zone and open up so many opportunities for yourself.

What’s the biggest challenge that JCI has helped you overcome?

JCI has helped me tackle so many challenges but the biggest one for me would be my own self confidence and public speaking. Looking back when I joined I had a very small network, terrified of public speaking and wasn’t getting out networking and seeing what opportunities were available – every event, every training, every conference I go to keeps pushing me out my comfort zone and helps me grow and gain skills. Never in a million years did I think I would be able to lead an organisation at my age but JCI helped me to do this through phenomenal leadership academies, training and mentors

Next year when your president what are your plans to take to JCI to the next level?

For JCI Scotland next year my biggest aim is to increase our membership nationally and visibility of who we are and what we are about– JCI is very unique and we provide so many individuals aged 18-40 with outstanding development opportunities in many areas. I really want us to reach more individuals to help them become great leaders and to help others excel in their personal and professional lives. I also want to ensure JCI Scotland has solid foundations to remain a key organisation nationally and create strong partnerships with other businesses and organisations to help Scotland’s young people gain access to great opportunities

How can someone get involved in JCI?

To get involved in JCI, visit our website
www.jciscotland.org.uk for a lot more information and find your local chapter, currently we are in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Drop your local chapter an email and they will arrange to meet up and tell you much more on what you can get involved in and events to attend. You can also email me directly or get me on LinkedIn and will be more than happy to let you know all about JCI in Scotland!