One Year Strong: My Version 1 Story

Hey there! This is August and marks a big milestone for me as I celebrate my one-year anniversary with this remarkable company. Though it feels a lot more??My name is Rosemary J Thomas, and I am a Senior Technical Researcher at Version 1 . And AI Labs is my home (yes, it’s Artificial Intelligence!), and I’m borrowed when other teams and projects need me.

Why I call Version 1 remarkable? It is for our core values: Honesty & Integrity, Personal Commitment, No Ego, Customer First, Excellence and Drive. When you sing the same song it so easy to practice the values. You might even think why we have the first three value – I would say it’s taken for granted in most places I worked, and it was so refreshing to see it not just on paper. Our Chief Operating Officer (COO) Louise Lahiff explained it so well in our induction. She was also the first woman to join the board of Version 1’s software entity in 2022. #version1difference #insideversion1

Reflecting on my first day, I still remember the thrill and anticipation I felt. I chose to join Version 1 because of its core values, drive for innovation and a supportive-inclusive work environment. My initial impressions were overwhelmingly positive, and I quickly felt at home.

In my first year, I have had the freedom of working on few impactful projects. This hasn’t happened since my PhD. But they trusted me and I delivered. One of the best bit was getting involved as a cross-functional collaborator for what’s now called Version 1’s AI Readiness Assessment, where my expertise in analysis and mapping research methods lead to discovering in gaps in the AI frameworks. I enjoyed working with Sat Gidda and learned a lot from him. This experience polished my skills but also earned me getting involved in a deeper capacity within wider Version 1. The freedom that I enjoy here which does come with responsibility helped me grow so fast.

My journey had its fair share of obstacles and tough moments. One of the most meaningful hurdles was getting back used to ‘ask forgiveness not permission’. After my PhD, it was always asking the permission conversation which stalled innovation a lot. I never did well been locked inside a box and asked to innovate. Does anyone do well there? I didn’t take time to flip over to the happy side ??as innovation takes place here as ‘an active mind is a happy place’.

The leadership and team dynamics at Version 1 are truly exceptional especially AI Labs. Our CEO Tom O'Connor and our CTO Brad Mallard are incredibly down-to-earth despite their positions of power. Tom brings humour and charisma to our quarterly briefings. I had a brief chat with him, and he knew exactly what I did. Brad is very approachable and easy to work with. I am grateful for the companionship and backing from my colleagues. Filippo Sassi is amazing as the Head of AI Labs and as my manager. It’s a pleasure working for him. Rohit Vincent was my buddy and truly appreciate the time we spent together as it got me up to speed of everything in our Labs. One memorable moment was delivering TNMOC Mate, as everyone in the Labs pitched in within their own capacity to help make it a success, which perfectly shows the collaborative and inclusive culture here.

Over the past year, I’ve grown so much, both professionally and personally. I feel like I’ve been here for a few years as that’s the kind of impactful work you do at Version 1. I’ve had the chance to write a lot for Version 1, attend numerous trainings, in-person events, workshops, and webinars that have significantly boosted my AI knowledge. Plus, the mentorship from Andrea Fionda in Corporate Communications and Rukaya Ogazi-Khan in Digital, Data & Cloud has been precious for my development.

As I look to the future, I’m filled with joy for the adventures that lie ahead. I’m especially looking forward to getting established in writing more thought-provoking leadership pieces, while not leaving behind my research projects.

To my readers, thank you for the love and support you’re giving me. I’m eager to keep contributing to our success and reaching new milestones.

Showing up as who I am at Version 1, without having to change myself is not a privilege I enjoyed in my career. I cherish it sincerely. ?I am deeply thankful to my colleagues, my manager and Version 1 for their devoted support. I’m sorry, if I haven’t mentioned your name as this is a glimpse of my one year at Version 1. And a lot more happened! I cheer everyone to share your own experiences and I’m happy to connect with you. #version1difference #insideversion1