Amy Thornton
Business Development Manager VOW : Normanton

Throughout her time at evo, Amy has continued to push herself, taking on more responsibility, striving for the external role that she had always dreamed of, which she now has. From these experiences, she has learned the importance of taking the opportunities on offer and to push for your goals, which the company recognises and supports.

As part of the evo team, Amy has been able to experience a variety of exciting opportunities that she never thought she would, including attending the BOSS Awards, conferences and getting firsthand experience with customers. As she said herself ‘the opportunities are endless!’ Customer interaction is the part of the job that she enjoys most, so the company has ensured that this forms a key part of her role.

Jordan Eli
Trainee Account Executive Banner : Bradford

A passionate footballer, Jordan’s challenge was to transition from a potential football career with Huddersfield Town to a corporate one. Luckily, a training scheme with Banner’s sales team offered a compelling new career path. Despite the disruption of COVID and lockdown interrupting Jordan’s training very early on, he has hit the ground running and caught the sales bug.

The on-the-job training from being back in the office with his team makes a massive difference. The great atmosphere, commissions and incentives – such as prize draws with sought after prizes like a Nintendo Switch or Fridays afternoons off – makes the targets easier to hit and more fun in the process. Jordan now thrives in the buzzy environment of the sales team

Sabrina Ward
QHSE Advisor : Lutterworth Distribution Centre

Sabrina joined EVO around 2001 when it was still Kingfield Health and apart from a break to have her children, she has been here ever since. Having started off as a Warehouse Operative, she has moved all the way up to QHSE advisor for the Lutterworth site. EVO has been there every step of the way, guiding her through the many endeavors that have occurred throughout her career. The highlights of this include the IOSH Managing Safely course and NEBOSH Certificate, as well as a diploma in Applied Health and Safety which she is currently working towards. Her skills and knowledge are continuing to deepen as she undertakes these additional courses, all with the support of her team and the wider company.

Have confidence in your abilities is the main piece of advice that Sabrina would pass on to someone joining EVO. Being the member of staff responsible for the health and safety of the team is not a simple job but Sabrina finds it so rewarding to know that colleagues are protected because of her commitment. This was particularly true during the pandemic when safety became vital to the business’ ability to operate normally, which Sabrina is proud to have achieved. The group employs such a wide array of people with many different cultural interests and the friendships that Sabrina has made reflect this. Her husband and son are both also part of the EVO family which demonstrates how important the company is to their family.

Pawel Borkowski
Category Assistant Banner : Remote

After transferring to EVO during the acquisition of Staples, Pawel has worked hard as part of the group’s wider team. Having worked in both the merchandising and stock control departments at Staples, Pawel is now being mentored towards the role of purchase manager. His real desire to learn and develop as part of the EVO team is something that is very much admired by his colleagues. His ability to take responsibility for project work without question is what makes him such a well-respected member of the team.

We are all extremely proud of Pawel as he shortlisted for the Rising Star of the Year award at the BOSS Industry Awards 2021. As a result, he was also invited to attend the BOSS’ Leaders of the Future Conference, which is a real success for both Pawel himself, and for his wider team who have helped him with his training. It is great to see all of his successes being recognised on an industry-wide scale, as it has been internally since his move.

Alex Milano-Tee
Head of Internal Sales Banner : Normanton & Bradford

Alex swapped a pub and a background in hospitality for the more stable and sociable hours of the corporate world, and she’s never looked back. Joining EVO in 2016 as an account executive in the public sector team, Alex looked after big local government contracts, swiftly being promoted to account manager, then team leader, before moving into external field sales. This steady progression now has her in the role of head of internal sales for the public sector, managing a team of 20 across the Normanton and Bradford offices. The transition into senior leadership was inspired by Alexandra’s first manager and two excellent mentors. Surrounded by strong leaders, she knew that was the direction she wanted to go in herself.

The business supported her development with an apprenticeship, then Level 3 in leadership and management, with the level 5 operational management underway. Alex is a firm believer in the power of character and enthusiasm, and that EVO is a business that rewards hard work. The senior management have all worked their way up from customer service or junior roles and the business is a great example of encouraging progression from within. The fantastic diversity in background of the teams across the organisation it’s the people that Alex is most proud of, describing them as being like her family. The EVO group of companies is a business founded on really great people and provides the ideal platform for professional growth.

Natalia Sierzanska
Shift Manager : Lutterworth Distribution Centre

Natalia was made Team Leader just one year into her employment. She was then able to take advantage of the opportunities on offer and took over management of the site, which she loved. This encouraged Natalia to train within the QC department, resulting in promotion to supervisor and recently to shift manager. We are all very proud of this achievement.

Natalia’s advice to anyone would be to show off your organisation and leadership skills and show confidence, which she has been able to do with EVO and this was rewarded. She loves being able to work with such a variety of people and cultures, as it helps her understand problems from many different perspectives.

Ashley Savage
Shift Leader : Normanton Distribution Centre

Ashley has moved around the business throughout his time at EVO, getting to know the different processes inside out. As his confidence grew, he was offered the chance to manage a small team of 3-4 people, which then grew to 10-15 people and now he leads about 80 people on the Day shift. During his time with EVO, he has trained in COSH Safety, had Fire Marshall training and completed his Level 5 in operational management, and is now working towards his level 4 lean/six sigma improvement specialist apprenticeship that is shaping him into the leader that he has become.

He sees EVO as a family, a group that continually supports each other. This has allowed him to grow both personally and professionally, becoming more confident and taking on more leadership responsibility. He has also relished in the opportunity to help others develop their skills and progress through the company, which is testament to how strong and capable his team are as a unit.

Gemma White
Customer Service Manager Banner : Normanton & Bradford

Gemma joined EVO over 16 years ago, becoming a team leader in 2010, before making the jump to Customer Service Manager in 2015. With the support of the company, she was able to complete the Level 5 Operational Management apprenticeship scheme which took her management skills to the next level, fine tuning the skills she had acquired over the years. Gemma describes EVO as being ‘like a family, it draws you in’, which reflects the commitment she has had for the group over the last 16 years, something she is very proud of. She is particularly surprised at how attached you can get to a company and the people who work there.

During the pandemic, Gemma felt that having to work from home could have made her job a lot harder because it’s a close-knit team but in reality, her department became busier and busier, and thrived. It demonstrated that customer service is a valued area of the business and that teams are able to work from home and be trusted to perform their jobs to just as high a standard as they would have in the office. Trust between her team was strengthened as a result.

Georgina Leaney
Warehouse Supervisor : Lutterworth

Georgina is a highly experienced warehouse supervisor, having been with the company for 17 years and moving up through the ranks from picker to leading hand, then supervisor. Working with a good and supportive operations team has encouraged and coached Georgina through these transitions, and some interesting lessons and tips have come up along the way.

For example, the morning shift is a bit slower pace than the evening shift but, we have smaller teams to manage which makes it just as challenging, the multi-cultural team has taught introduced her to a variety of languages, and sign language is a useful tool for communicating in the noisy warehouse environment. The structure of Monday to Friday, with the option of working overtime, in a secure business is important to Georgina, never more so than during the early days of the pandemic when employment uncertainty was widespread. EVO pivoted to accommodate the huge surge in demand for PPE, prioritising frontline staff.

For Georgina’s team, it impacted workload, but also required a shift in team management to ensure government and organisational guidelines were briefed daily and additional safety support was provided. Pride at delivering a vital service during unprecedented times can be felt throughout Georgina’s close-knit team