“I just fell in love with the place.”

Anna

From a childhood in rural Lincolnshire to a career at the UK’s largest luxury car maker.

Anna Tracy often can’t believe her luck.

She’s worked at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) since 2017, but her love of the company’s vehicles dates back quite a bit longer.

“I remember going past a showroom when I was about 10, seeing a Defender parked up on some rocks and being immediately obsessed,” Anna said.

“I asked my Dad to stop so we could look at the cool car; he was a massive petrolhead, so I think he was just delighted one of his children showed an interest!”

These days, Anna’s role as Data Guild Capability Manager means she gets up close with JLR’s iconic vehicles at the company’s Gaydon site in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire on a regular basis.

“I get to play an integral role on a range of initiatives as part of JLR’s digital transformation, which is all about getting our people working with data and AI in the most effective way,” Anna said.

“One day I could be helping our rollout of analytics training programmes across the business; the next, looking at policy and working with compliance teams on our data and ethics.”

It’s something of a dream job – and the latest chapter of a life story that took shape at the University of Warwick.

“I studied Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures and Linguistics,” she explained.

“To be honest, my initial thinking was to look at Oxford or Cambridge, but after doing some open days and a bit of research, I knew I wanted to go to Warwick.”

While part of the attraction for Anna was the greater number of contact hours with lecturers, she also realised that the campus atmosphere and surroundings were better suited to her tastes.

“I grew up in a tiny village called Burton-by-Lincoln,” Anna said. “It was rural and quiet, but also very close to Lincoln – a place with everything you need, but still a small city that has its own identity and pace.

“I soon discovered that studying here would give me that ‘best of both’ I wanted, while still providing me with a first-class education at a prestigious uni.”

After living in halls in first year, Anna moved off campus to nearby Leamington Spa.

She liked it so much, she never left.

“It’s perfect for me,” Anna explained. “Leamington is a beautiful, thriving town; I can walk to the centre in 10 minutes, there’s always so much going on and it’s incredibly convenient because of its location.

“I just fell in love with the place.”

With direct trains into London Marylebone in under an hour and a half, and to central Birmingham in as little as 25 minutes on some services, there’s no hassle when Anna’s hybrid role calls for a trip to JLR sites or a meeting.

As well as the Gaydon facility, her employer also has multiple development, testing and factory locations within spitting distance, several of which are in nearby Coventry, a city proud of its prestigious automotive past.

“It’s great being where the action will be in the future of all things automotive,” Anna added.

“Outside of work, I tend to spend a lot of time just in Leamington, because it’s got so many amazing spots.

“It almost feels a bit like a borough of North London with that blend of charm and quality, independent businesses.”

In the summer, a typical day might include a run through Newbold Comyn Park – “amazing views and you quickly feel transported to the middle of nowhere” – followed by a bagel at the Steamhouse bakery that Anna admits she has frequented enough for the staff to recognise her.

“There are so many growing little restaurants, cafes and bars that after lockdown, I made a pact with my friends that we’d have dinner once a month at one of the new places,” Anna said.

Speaking of friends, several of Anna’s former course mates have recently decided to return to the Coventry & Warwickshire area after initially moving away.

“I’ve definitely noticed that since the pandemic, some people are moving back to the area around where we studied,” she said. “Staying here was certainly the right decision for me.”

Aside from Leamington Spa’s status as the Sunday Times’ Best Place to Live in the Midlands and Rightmove’s 24th-happiest place to live in the UK, Anna has benefited from the wealth of social opportunities the town has on offer.

“I can go to a really fancy reformer pilates class if I want to, and I play rugby for the Old Leamingtonians RFC, which has become a big part of my life over the last six years,” she said.

“You constantly meet people here who have also studied at Warwick, or find that you share mutual friends with someone at work or who you chat with in the pub.”

Economically, the move – or lack of move after Anna’s studies – has paid dividends, too.

“I did a summer internship at a local IT firm while I considered studying for a Master’s at Warwick,” she recalled.

“When I decided against doing that, they offered me a permanent job as their social media manager, which gave my career a kickstart and helped me get the experience and skills I now use at JLR.”

Anna rented a flat in Leamington with her partner, who is originally from Milton Keynes and also works at JLR, before they bought a house together – a more attainable proposition than it might have been had she followed her peers to the capital, perhaps.

The pair are now married, tying the knot at the historic Jephson Gardens in Leamington, and Anna is excited for their future in their new hometown.

“Coming from a small village, studying at Warwick opened my eyes,” she said.

“I had the best experience, took advantage of some fantastic opportunities and met all sorts of people with all kinds of opinions and perspectives.

“Staying here in the West Midlands, with all its automotive heritage and in a place with lots of big employers and an entrepreneurial spirit, has worked out brilliantly for me.

“I didn’t have a background in data, but JLR’s commitment to my growth and development has meant I’ve taken great opportunities.

“I love my career; it’s something I never expected, but I feel so privileged to work for JLR and be in a space that’s constantly evolving.

“It’s given me the chance to be at the heart of a digital network and bring together world leaders and inspiring speakers from the data and tech industry who inspire me and my colleagues every day.

“And I bet that if you told that 10-year-old girl staring at that Defender that one day I’d be working at the heart of where they are designed, she’d have been over the moon.”

Photo: JLR