Focussed, dedicated and passionate 

I have many great memories from my time at Jersey Post, making many life long friends. I was very lucky having started as a telegram boy at 16, and rising to the role of Director, I saw many aspects of the business first-hand in my different roles. These included not only operations and logistics but also responsibility at times for sales, customer relations, major projects and the Philatelic Department (stamps). I’m particularly proud that during my time as Operations Director, I was able to introduce electric vehicles (resulting in a national award) new letter automation, new parcel automation and the purchase of a freight company in Portsmouth that I continued to Chair for a year after I left JP. The best aspect of the job was always the brilliant people I had the opportunity to work alongside every day. 

A great organisation and a great team, we had such support from the local community including the business community. I was responsible for getting visitors and athletes to and from the ports to their accommodation and ensuring people could get to and from their chosen sporting venue. It was certainly a challenge, but I think the games we were able to put on together still rank amongst the best and I’m certainly very proud of the part my team played.

Shorter working weeks! I was able to take my commercial experience in operations and marketing into another great organisation. I continued as a trustee until 2022 and I have great pleasure watching that organisation continue to flourish.

Having left school before I was 15 with no formal qualifications, I kept hitting a glass ceiling in my career. Through the CMI and IoD I’ve been able to acquire the skills and qualifications, alongside my practical experience to successfully rise to senior management. I always encourage people to learn about leadership and join professional bodies. The training and networking opportunities are fantastic and putting that learning into practice is very fulfilling. To be recognised in your chosen profession as a Chartered Fellow is very special, especially for someone who left formal education so young.

The Chamber was another great learning experience, having the ability to represent businesses and their challenges to Government was hard at times but I was fortunate again to work with very good people. Jersey Business is another great organisation. They really came to the fore in the pandemic and I hope that as Chair, I was able to help raise their profile and increase confidence in the organisation.

Having been very fortunate to get a first-time buyer property in 1993, I wanted to give something back to the Parish. The Honorary Police is another area where you can learn new skills and meet people who you wouldn’t normally come across, I highly recommend it. Procureur is a very interesting and varied role and I was once again able to bring my commercial experience to the post while learning about the workings of the Municipality.

My campaign was all about connecting the Parish, be that physically with road safety improvements, or with improved communication. I’ve been keen to engage directly with Parishioners, hosting a weekly surgery in the Parish, hosting Q&A sessions after Parish meetings and providing regular video updates on social media. We have seen good progress with partnerships between Parish organisations but there is always more that can be done.

In a word speed. It is not as easy as you’d expect. We are able to set the strategic direction, but it takes time to implement. We have put a lot of focus on recruitment and retention, but clearly there is lots more to do. Performance management with objectives and appraisals is also a key area of focus, but again there is still a lot more to do. We have made good progress in Health and Safety, giving this area the focus that is needed, just as you would in a commercial organisation. 

We have done our best to set good values for our sons. I have to say, the boys and I are so lucky to have Judy in our lives, she has been very supportive of all I have done and it’s the same with the boys. There is no substitute for hard work and the lads have seen how you can benefit from this. Something I wish I had learned sooner, was about work-life balance, I hope they get that bit right as well.

Is there a perfect day? I always look to see how I can improve on what I have done, it would be a day when I have achieved something and or helped someone.

Tough question. I was recently described as “focussed, dedicated and passionate about St John and the Island”. I will take that.