Blog

So first of all I must introduce myself- My name is Jonny Kew and I have recently started a year-long internship with O2 working as the Sponsorship Assistant.  I will explain more about how I got the role in later posts but for my first entry I wanted to give you a snapshot of my first month at O2.
So, what I quickly realised was that O2 is all about working hard and playing hard. O2 people definitely work on the premise that you get the fruits from your labour- and these fruits aren’t half juicy! In my first few days the intern I am taking over from (Jonny Excell) set me up with everything I needed for the world of work including a business use phone and laptop. Alongside this he gave me the complete lowdown on everybody within the Brand and Marketing team here. Working within Brand I soon realised that O2 collaborate with many agencies whereby more names needed to be remembered- it was a struggle but I’m getting there. I was living the true London lifestyle a few days a week socialising with agencies after work and finding out more about what they do in the day. It was great getting a real feel for the amount of work that goes into everything O2 push out, and really interesting to see what the agencies do and how each one differs even if it is only slightly.
I will save most of the everyday work for later posts as I have so many ‘fruits’, as I called them, to tell you about. Having been here for just over a month I already compiled a list of experiences to rival most. Below is the shortlist:
• Hosted the O2 box at Emirates for the Emirates cup
• Attended the media launch for the Get up for England campaign- whereby my job (if you can call it that) was to usher Riki Flutey round to various interviews and watch the England team cook pies
• Hosted the box at Arsenal v Liverpool and helped run the O2 blueroom
• Visited the O2 Arena
• Helped with the running of Arsenal members day whereby I brushed shoulder’s with the likes of Theo Walcott, Arsene Wenger and Martin Keown
• Obviously I had to save the best till last- I attended the England Wales rugby international at Twickenham. But that’s not all- we went on a pre-match stadium tour, had a pre-match meal with RFU council and affiliates and attended a post-match buffet with all the players. Probably the most awe-inspiring moment since working for O2, unsurprisingly.
I have tried to keep this as short as possible but I have worked here for over a month so I’m sure you can understand it is rather lengthy for a first blog post. With this in mind I should encourage you to keep track of what I’m doing as I’ll try and write short posts alongside more meaty pieces for you to get your teeth into. This is only the start of what is set to be a great year for me- I promise to discuss more of the work side- as I said O2 is all about working hard and playing hard!

O2 Money was launched in summer of 2009, since then they have launched the O2 Money card attracting over 800,000 customers. But this is all changing…

People expect to use their smartphones for more, with increasing numbers using them to access retailer websites and compare prices. To keep up with this growing demand, O2 is looking to bring you a mobile wallet - taking everything you carry around in your wallet and putting it on your mobile. This will cover everything from online shopping, sending money to a friend, topping up your mobile, loyalty offers and much, much more. Making shopping easier, quicker and more hassle free.

To get ready for the launch, we have been busy expanding and developing the O2 Money team with expertise from the Financial Services industry; bringing in a new marketing team, a variety of product managers, business planners and sales people over the last nine months. We’ve extensively grown our Commercial and Business Support teams too, creating an upbeat culture and environment which is driven by knowing what the end goal is and how we can achieve it. The O2 Money team is still small, retaining the flexibility and impetus that you would not necessarily find within a corporate of Telefónica’s size.

Here is what two recent starters have had to say about their time at O2 Money:

David – “I’ve been at O2 for 5.5 years, and I can honestly say that I’m having the most fun here that I’ve ever had! Not something you might naturally associate with financial services, but the opportunity that O2 has before it is equally exciting and compelling.

There is a very positive feeling to working in O2 Money. There are some sizeable hurdles to overcome but the mood is upbeat. The management style is relaxed yet focused – O2 Money is everything that High Street banking isn’t!”

Nathan – “For me, it’s all about the opportunity to work on a cutting edge product within Mobile Payments. O2 Money really is becoming a pioneer in this space – not just for mobile network operators, but for everyone else that is trying to take part. It’s easy to see how much the company supports this new endeavour by the quality of the team that has been brought together”

Find out more about O2 Money including our current vacancies

Where did the time go? I’ve just turned 30 and already I’ve been here for over 13 years.
I started working at Telefónica O2 back in 1998 when the company was B.T Mobile, spending five years working in Finance mainly working in the accounts payable team, then moving into the HR Resourcing team in November 2003 where I’ve been involved in so many opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge over the last 7.5 years.
From assessing at recruitment events, supporting the implementation of a new recruitment system or  working on the temp to perm process converting a large volume of temporary staff in retail onto permanent contracts, I’ve been involved with everything at some point!
I love the variety of my role and the opportunities that I’ve been given to work on so many different projects. The interaction that I get from the people I work with day to day whether I’m dealing with hiring managers, candidates or the wider HR team, it’s the people who really make working at Telefónica such a great experience and the reason why I’ve been here for so long.
Katy