Forces: RAF
Nathan L
After 9 years service with the RAF, Nathan Lees has gone on to develop a successful career with Certas Energy.
"I
left the Armed Forces with 9 years’ service in the RAF, and after being
based in Cyprus for my last 3 years and meeting my wife I decided it
was the right time to leave and pursue a job in civvy street!
"During
my time in the RAF I gained all my HGV licenses, ADR and NVQs in
loading, fuel bulking and delivery as well as completing an
anti-rollover course in a tanker. These qualifications have been
invaluable in supporting my move to a civilian role as well as the
wealth of experience I accumulated during my 9 years’ service.
"Whilst
serving I drove a variety of vehicles which really helped to build up
my driving experience, including driving Artic tankers across Europe. I
gained invaluable experience training others on driving safely and how
to comply with our standard operating procedures. I also had to
negotiate with other colleagues at work when difficult tasks needed to
be completed, all of which has really helped me especially in my current
role as Area Operations Manager.
"Before leaving, I used
Graduated Resettlement Time to complete training on the Working Time
Directive and Tachographs, which has been really useful for joining
Certas Energy (Butler at the time).
"Since joining the company in
2009, I worked as a Driver until April 2010 and was subsequently
promoted to a Depot Operations Manager covering Bodmin. I am now an Area
Operations Manager in the South West covering Cornwall and South Devon.
I have had the opportunity to progress and learn since joining Certas
which will continue to aid my progression within the company.
"As
a driver I dealt with multiple deliveries of anywhere between 20 to 25
drops per day so the job was extremely busy, testing and every day was
different. I got to know my regular customers well and enjoyed meeting
new customers on my route. I really felt that as I driver, I was an
ambassador for the company and I was responsible for making or breaking
sales as my face to face involvement with each customer on my route
could generate more sales for the business! Now, as a Manager I have
continued my development and continuously look at lean and cost
management; we always look for ways to improve how we serve our
customers and this includes our internal customers. Any little change at
the depot can bring massive improvements so currently I am monitoring
our telematics to understand how much we are spending on fuel and if our
routes are the most efficient.
"I really enjoy working for
Certas; we have a great team spirit at the sites I manage in the South
West and I have always had great support from my Senior Management team
as well as support from others in the business as and when I need it,
which is great! I find our town hall meetings really useful for
understanding wider business objectives and performance, as well as our
weekly and driver bulletins."
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