How did you get into the parcel industry and tell us about your personal journey? ‘I started as a van driver in 1984, it’s as simple as that. I absolutely loved van driving, but my main goal was to become a Class 1 HGV Driver and I achieved that relatively quickly. My pathway to becoming Chief Operating Officer at Yodel has been full of highs, and even some lows.
One thing I do know for certain is that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my family, colleagues, and some fantastic mentors. In truth, there has also been some luck involved too, sometimes it can be about being the right person, in the right place at the right time, and even though I’ve worked extremely hard to get where I am today, this does play a part. Reflecting on my personal journey I would say one thing, if I had my time again starting at 19 in this industry, I’d do it all again, exactly the same way. That’s a true testament to how much I’ve enjoyed the success and challenges that have come my way.
How important is communication & collaboration in a role like yours? We couldn’t function without it here at Yodel. We’re all singing off the same hymn sheet, and this ensures that all parties are pulling in the same direction and working together. We do a great job of that, specifically between the Operational and Commercial teams. We have lots of different skillsets and there are many complex processes to understand. Ensuring that every internal stakeholder – from senior leadership right through to the colleagues out on the road delivering parcels - has the same clear objectives is paramount to success.
What does success look like for you and has that changed over the years? I think earlier on in my career, I was incredibly ambitious, and I worked tirelessly to prove myself. I’d even say maybe too ambitious! I moved my family across the country multiple times, and they have sacrificed a lot for my career, and perhaps back then success to me was climbing the career ladder. As you get older and more experienced, you get a little more relaxed in your own skin, you understand the success that you had as that young person is different to how you think of it now. One of the greatest successes for me is building people; having great relationships and seeing people I’ve supported in their careers succeed whilst making friends along the way is something I’ll always look back and be proud of. You can’t put a price on that.
What motivates you? I love that every day is different. Even after 38 years, there is still so much to learn! We’re like a family here at Yodel. I really look forward to coming to work, and there have been some incredible achievements. I love my job!
What’s your biggest learning so far in your career? It’s that you need to treat failure in the same way you do success. I’ve always been a believer in this and learning to recover from setbacks is not just important in business, it’s important in life, because setbacks – and failure - happen to the even the best of us but offer opportunities to learn and grow.
What keeps you grounded? There are a few things, and one of those is that I’m not COO at home. I’m Dad, I’m Carl and that’s important to me to keep work and family life separate. I never take my work home. It’s funny actually, my kids for years didn’t even know I worked with trucks and vans, they do ask me why I never really mentioned it and it does make me laugh. I still have a relaxed outlook on life.
What advice would you give to someone starting out and looking to progress? Just be yourself, just be authentic. That’s the biggest advice I could give. We’re all different and that’s one of the great things about people, everyone has something valuable to contribute and sometimes it takes a different mindset or approach to see solutions. Also, in my career, I’ve found that it’s so important to keep going even when things aren’t panning out the way you planned. I have enjoyed so much success, but also having that resilience to carry on has proven to be key in my own experience. I’ve found that the strongest people are those who don’t give up.
