“You have to keep moving forward, learning and progressing”

Finding out that her organisation, Viewber, had been ranked fourth in Newsweek’s UK Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces made Kate Campbell-Balcombe CMgr FCMI’s day extra-special. The results were due out on her birthday. The Chartered Fellow was on tenterhooks. 

“To begin with, I was disappointed, as I couldn’t see us anywhere on the list, but it just hadn’t occurred to me to look near the top. It’s amazing to get an accolade like that and I’m super proud,” Kate says.

As chief operating and people officer at Viewber, an online platform providing property viewing and marketing services, Kate has been instrumental in shaping the culture that led to the ranking. After an early stint in HR with a legal firm, she has spent most of her career in business development in the property sector. 

“People really matter to me”

Kate joined Viewber in 2017, when it was a start-up, and became its first employee. Within the year, the two co-founders asked her to be part of a three-strong chief executive team. It’s an unusual arrangement, but the trio bring different strengths and learn from each other, she explains. Viewber now has a countrywide network of freelance property professionals, and Kate oversees around 60 employees, all of whom work remotely. 

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Taking on a leadership position in a fast-growing start-up was both exciting and daunting, and she initially struggled with an element of imposter syndrome. 

“I didn’t want to let anyone down. People really matter to me and I wanted to get things right.” 

This prompted her to investigate management qualifications, which led her to CMI. She gained her Level 7 in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice in 2020 and was awarded Chartered Manager status in 2022, recently becoming a Chartered Fellow. 

Being part of CMI has given her a wealth of knowledge and resources to draw on, she says. 

“You have to keep moving forward, learning and progressing, otherwise you’re going to fall backwards. I've got 60 people who rely on me for their income and their job security, so I’ve got to make the right decisions. Becoming Chartered is a way to show that you’re committed to working ethically and doing a good job. It’s a highly regarded stamp of approval.”

Kate recently took part in a panel at a CMI Communities Live event in Portsmouth. “When you work remotely, you don’t get a lot of opportunities to meet people face-to-face,” she says. 

Kate left the event with many new connections and ideas to take back to the organisation.