MEET THE MEMBER
Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for the latest Talk Business Magazine and in this interview, we want to get to know the member better to share with our readership.
MEET REBECCA MANDER
What was your first job or role after education? I wasn’t clever enough to get onto a graduate programme with British Airways, my employer of choice, so I applied for a part time role on check-in at Birmingham Airport! I got the role that paid £8,000 per annum, did loads of OT and within the year had been promoted to the CEOs office!! That role was super stressful as I was a young woman from check-in so few could see how I could lead a team of assistants to the CEO. I would often cry tears of frustration on my way home from London to Warwickshire…and not because of the M25! I loved the role and dealing with angry customers was my favourite past time; I learned a lot about excellent customer service and training which has never gone away. And I learned a lot about leadership and how to turn a tough team around…they were very sad when I left to sell doorbells!
Could you describe your career path for the reader? My Mum ‘poached’ me from BA. She was an amazing leader, and I knew I would learn a lot from her. Also, the commute to Heathrow was not great for me being a newlywed. (Although the Mauritius and Australia honeymoon had been!!) So, there I was swapping glamourous Waterside for Wharfside in Oldbury and travelling around the UK selling doorbells. Not many women did that in those days so being asked by a guy behind an electrical trade counter if I had any knockers on offer was not a rare occurrence! I soon became Sales Director and I loved, loved, loved leading the team. My mum - and my grandad before her - showed true compassionate leadership. We were honest and humble leaders that put people, not profits first and feedback was a 24/7 culture so everyone knew where they stood and how they could grow.
