Kate Smalley
About Kate Smalley
Kate Smalley is a Senior Programme Manager at Legal & General, where she has worked since 2020. She has extensive experience in project management and transformation roles, having held various positions within Legal & General and other organizations over the past 17 years.
Current Role as Senior Programme Manager
Kate Smalley has been serving as a Senior Programme Manager at Legal & General since 2020. In this role, she is responsible for managing a budget of approximately £8 million per annum. Her focus includes overseeing product lines, programmes, and projects that contribute to risk reduction across the business. She plays a key role in establishing and scaling the change team to meet growing demands, acting as a thought leader on delivery models.
Previous Experience at Legal & General
Kate Smalley has held multiple positions at Legal & General, contributing to various projects and initiatives. She worked as a Business Project Manager for 8 months in 2012, followed by a role as Senior Project Manager (Portfolio Manager Actuarial Change) for 5 months in 2013. From 2013 to 2016, she served as Senior Project Manager for Retirements - Annuities. Additionally, she was a Transformation Consultant from 2016 to 2018 and Head of Transformation Operating Strategy/Senior Continuous Improvement Manager from 2018 to 2020.
Education and Expertise
Kate Smalley studied at Cranfield University, where she earned a Master of Science (MSc) in Programme and Project Management from 2010 to 2013. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology from the University of Warwick. Her educational background supports her expertise in project management and transformation strategies, particularly in the financial services sector.
Career Background Prior to Legal & General
Before her tenure at Legal & General, Kate Smalley worked at ArcusFM as a Project Manager from 2009 to 2011 and as a Performance Manager for 8 months in 2009. She also served as a Project Consultant at Larch Consulting from 2006 to 2009. These roles provided her with foundational experience in project management and operational strategies.
Focus Areas and Contributions
In her current position, Kate Smalley focuses on cyber security, access management, IT risk controls, and operational resilience within the Legal and General Institutional Security, Risk and Standards team. She played a significant role in establishing a new team in 2020, which aimed to create a model and framework for delivering a diverse portfolio using agile methodology.