International Women’s Day – 8th March
On International Women’s Day, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for our incredible team of female managers. Swiftclean has a rich history of strong female representation in the workforce. One of our first directors, Julia Argles, co-owned the business with our current Managing Director, Gary Nicholls, for over 30 years. Following in her footsteps are our Operations Director, Chloe Nicholls, and our Director of Shared Services, Abbey Maxwell.
In this blog, we’re celebrating some of our managers, who have kindly answered a few questions for us.
What does your role involve?
Alison Thornton, Service Delivery Manager – Almost 20 years’ service
Management of the Kitchen Extract and Air Service Delivery Team, including management of personnel/resources/planning/client queries and complaints.
Julie Garrington, Accounts Manager – 2.5 years’ service
I moved into a new role in January this year and am training as Accounts Manager. This role includes preparing and checking monthly accounts, commissions, expenses, payroll, reconciliations, HMRC submissions and much more.
Carly Humphries, Key Account Manager – 7 years’ service
I manage the delivery and oversee a proportion of our top key account clients, ensuring they maintain compliance to TR19 Grease. Once the Technical Sales Consultant has processed the client order, the job is passed to my team who liaise with both the client and the external compliance engineers to ensure the smooth running of the job.
Emily Nicholls, Key Account Manager – 4 years’ service
My role is fundamentally to maintain a great relationship with our largest key accounts, such as Center Parcs, ISS Facilities Services Ltd, Chelsea FC and Loughborough University. I will often work on the financials of a contract, have review meetings with clients, assist the sales team during renewal season, coordinate/plan PPM works, check compliance of reports and audit internal works! I support our Kitchen and Air clients, focusing on kitchen extract and ventilation cleans, fire damper testing, and PVT testing, which keeps me very busy.
Jackie Lansley, Marketing Manager – 16 years’ service
I am responsible for all aspects of promoting our company to a broader audience. This includes updating the website, creating new pages, optimising for search engines, and managing Pay Per Click advertising. Additionally, I focus on generating sales leads through the website, social media, email marketing, blogs, articles, and advertising in selected trade publications.
Lauren Whittington, Legionella Services Manager – 10 years’ service
I oversee and manage our internal Legionella team, which is a team of planners and coordinators. I ensure the team is meeting our KPI’s and delivering the best customer service to our clients. I am also involved with our internal DCS system, and am always looking at where we can make efficiencies for my team and the business with the different systems we use, and our approach to working.
Nicola Beasley, Executive Assistant – 13 years’ service
In February, I took on a new role that primarily focuses on improving our services and processes. This involves advancing our CRM system to ensure that the agreed-upon processes are regularly updated and effectively utilised. Additionally, I am working on expanding our list of subcontractors and ensuring that we adhere to and update the relevant processes.
What’s the best bit about your job?
Alison – I enjoy working hard and providing a good service to clients and I strive to make this a great service with support from the team. Each day is different, and we are always busy!
Julie – Though this role is still new to me, I do enjoy getting to the bottom of a discrepancy.
Carly – The best bit about my job is delivering a smooth service for our clients and every day is different.
Emily – I love how niche our industry is, and that I gain knowledge every day. I also enjoy working with the whole team to overcome obstacles on site – once you have rectified an ongoing access issue and your client is happy with the service you have delivered, it’s a great feeling!
Jackie – I enjoy the creative aspect of marketing and have a great team that supports me including our external SEO company, our marketing agency, and my internal team.
Lauren – I love people managing and getting the best out of my team, and seeing people progress and thrive in their roles.
Nicola – Since starting my new role, I have enjoyed working on our CRM system, problem solving and making improvements. I have begun to learn more about our water services and gained more confidence and knowledge on areas of the CRM I have never worked on before.
What’s one of the hardest things about your job?
Alison – Keeping everyone happy!
Julie – That’s a hard one to answer for this job, as I’m still finding my way.
Carly – The hardest bit about my job is trying to resolve the challenging access issues, this is rewarding once they are solved.
Emily – I had my daughter 10 months ago, and recently have returned to the workforce full time, I would say the hardest thing about my job is the new challenge that so many face – the juggle of being a working mum! I definitely have a hugely strengthened respect for those before me.
Jackie – At the beginning of each year, we develop a marketing activity plan. Given the vast array of tasks we can undertake, managing time effectively with a small team can be challenging. Keeping track of the many moving parts in marketing requires constant attention and adaptability.
Lauren – I would say your juggling a lot of responsibilities, there’s a lot of deadlines to meet and achieve, from internal projects, client demands etc. though I really enjoy the variety in my role and enjoy making a difference.
Nicola – As much as our CRM system is the best bit of my role, it can also be the hardest as the processes can involve numerous people/departments/IT support and a reliance on the team to help test newly developed templates/reports. It involves a lot of training too, which means I am in a lot of meetings and workshops, helping to develop the skills and knowledge of our team.
What do you like to do to relax?
Alison – having 2 energetic boys doesn’t allow for much relaxation time, but when I can I like to escape in a good book
Julie – I like to go for walks, read books, play games, craft and see friends and family.
Carly – In my spare time I like to bake and spend time with my horse and friends.
Emily – I love to cook and host my friends and family. A summer BBQ in the garden with my friends, our children and a glass of very pale rosé is my idea of heaven.
Jackie – I love playing tennis and I’ve played for most of my life. I enjoy the competitive nature of matches. In addition to that, I love reading, walking, cycling, circuit training and watching a good crime drama on TV.
Lauren – Walking my dog Nelson.
Nicola – I enjoy playing netball for a social league, this releases any stress and gives me the social element too. If I get the time, I will never say no to a massage!
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate all our talented women vital to Swiftclean’s success. We acknowledge the hard work and challenges you face and appreciate your commitment to the Swiftclean team.
Thank you to all incredible women. Today and every day, we celebrate you!
