‘I have amazing colleagues who make my day job even better’
and look at it from every side. It’s easy to convince yourself that something will work.
Get honest opinions, pull everything to pieces and get every single fault sorted. Do as much homework as you can.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE IN YOUR ROLE?: Pushing for continued growth in a challenging and ever-changing environment. Retail is fastpaced and always shifting, and demand for products from buyers change every year, as do their business models and strategies.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE?: I’d have to say the thing I enjoy most is all the wonderful people
I’ve met working in the retail industry. There’s always a lot of turnaround with staff as people take on new roles, so you’re constantly meeting new people. It’s a fantastic environment to work in. On top of that, I have some amazing colleagues who make my day job even better.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY LEAST ABOUT YOUR ROLE?: 6am flights to our manufacturing facilities in Holland in December!
WHICH BUSINESS FIGURE DO YOU MOST ADMIRE
AND WHY?: Sir Malcolm Walker, the founder of Iceland, particularly after reading his autobiography. I related to him as not only was he from Yorkshire, he worked in retail as a teenager and had bigger aspirations. When he founded Iceland, he was simultaneously running it next door to his day job in Woolworths. He became very entrepreneurial and went from selling food to freezers. Despite being incredibly wealthy, he stayed real and true to himself, looking after everyone who worked for him. Iceland has a great company ethos. He’s made a lot of money and helped a lot of people with his charity work, while still being down to earth.
WHAT ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUR CAREER ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?: I’m most proud of being able to use my position within retail and the local community to further causes that are close to my heart. Ye Olde Oak has donated tens of thousands of cans of hot dogs and soup to help alleviate food poverty across the county, something we’re immensely proud of and continue to do.
I’ve volunteered with the Calder Valley Mountain Rescue Team and was one of the founding members of Andy’s Man Club, who do amazing work across the country tackling the stigma around men’s mental health. More recently, I’ve worked closely with the Happy Days homeless charity and help to direct the strategy of their community bike shop.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS GOING IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?: We’re currently in merger talks with another large Dutch family company, which will give us the opportunity to enter new markets and expand. Ye Olde Oak has the potential to massively grow with this merger, we could double in five years’ time.
‘I’ve always felt that if you deliver on what you promise you’ll have a great working relationship with everyone’