In the latest of our mini-series of ‘getting to know you’ interviews with the team at CCL, we’d like to introduce you to our General Manager, Stuart Campey.

 

Let’s start with an easy one… Tell us what your job is, and what it involves

I’m General Manager for CCL, which basically means that pretty much everything you can think of comes through me. My job is to keep things moving, whilst also continually evaluating everything to see where and how we can increase revenue, reduce costs, improve profitability and create efficiencies. My responsibility covers operations, warehousing, accounts, sales, HR, paryoll and more – you name it, the buck stops with me.  Of course that means if anything goes wrong, it’s down to me.

And when it goes right?

Oh, it’s down to Rudee! 😉

How long is it since you joined CCL?

I joined the company over five years ago, in January 2014.  When I started, there were 20 staff and now there are around 50. We were based in Isleworth, and now we’re in our much larger premises by London Heathrow Airport. It’s been great to be involved in that level of development and growth.

You’ve known CCL for longer than five years though, haven’t you?

Indeed yes. I’ve known the founders, Brian and Rudee, since I was a kid. On leaving school I took a job around the corner from where CCL was based back then. That company was a client of CCL, and so was another company that I went to work with a few years later. In fact, Rudee and I used to bump into each other in the corridoors!

How did you come to work with CCL?

It was a courtesy call to Rudee – ‘hello, how are you doing’ – that kind of thing.  I mentioned I was looking for a move. I asked Rudee to let me know if he heard of anything on the industry grapevine.

A few weeks later he called me, invited me into CCL for a chat. It turned out that CCL’s General Manager at the time, Anj, was about to have a baby and wanted to scale back a little on the work front. The idea was that I should come in, learn the ropes, and take over when she left. I knew Anj too of course, so it was a very open and transparent arrangement, with everyone in agreement. It enabled Anj to focus on her family without feeling like she was leaving everyone ‘in the lurch’. Bringing in someone they all knew and trusted made for a seamless transition.

How did you find it, getting your feet under the table at CCL?

Having left school at 17 and gone straight into Logistics, I knew the industry landscape very well. My previous two roles had been in management positions, so I’d built a solid managerial skillset too. In my last job before CCL I was Operations Director responsible for 85 staff, so the HR side of things didn’t phase me either.

My biggest challenge was that my entire work background to that date had been in exports – it was all I’d ever done. Imports had always been done by a broker, and that was often, yes, you guessed it, CCL.  I knew the logistics behind imports, but I didn’t even know how to do an import entry.

So the first six months were a real baptism of fire. I had to learn everything about imports and clearance from the ground up, as well as looking at all the processes and procedures – which were new to me – to see where they might be improved to be more streamlined, cost-effective and profitable.

What do you particularly enjoy about working at CCL?

I love that every day is different, and every day you learn something new. Seeing the company grow from when I started, to the much larger enterprise it is today is also very satisfaying – it gives me a sense of pride, that I’ve played a part in that growth and success.

CCL is a great place to work. Being responsible for HR, it’s important to me that the staff is happy and that everyone feels valued and appreciated. If you give people a sense of belonging, deliver recognition and rewards, and engender a sense of team spirit, it pays back the company a hundred-fold. Add some social activities into the mix and you generate a real healthy sense of being part of a corporate ‘family’.

Tell us a little about your personal life

I’m married with 2 children aged 9 and 13. With my children growing and getting involved in all sorts of hobbies and interests, I’m getting used to being a taxi service! When I’m not driving them around, I indulge in my latest passion, which is motor cycling. I love weekend ride-outs and recently went on a biking trip to Normandy to look at the D-day landing beaches and war memorials. It was an extraordinary experience.

Lastly, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’m taking my lead from Rudee. As the company grows, I hope I’ll be responsible for more and more. We have some exciting things in the pipeline and I’m looking forward to new challenges.  As we grow, I’ll be involved in bringing more people on board, and developing the people we already have, growing supervisors into managers and so on. That’s a particularly rewarding aspect of my job.

I hope to get out of the trenches a bit more too, to travel and attend some of the industry conferences and events. I look forward to the chance to meet more people and promote the company.

 

For starters, you can look out for me in Miami next February!