Case Studies

Suzy Bailey Hawke Graduated in 2000 from The University of Birmingham, and Universite de Claude Bernard (Lyon, France) with a degree in Mathematics including a years study in continental Europe. I really did not know what I wanted to do when I left Uni, and TNT offered a Graduate programme that took you through all the areas of business, starting at Operations, moving onto Customer Service and finally at Sales. In 2000 I started as a graduate trainee and trained in all depot roles across Operations, Customer Service and Sales and alongside this completed projects, which led to an external qualification.

Following this I became a Field Sales Executive for Nottingham before progressing into the role of Depot Sales Manager in 2002 where I managed a group of 9 people and was in charge of the revenue growth for the East Midlands depot. In 2005 I was promoted to Birmingham depot as a Depot Sales Manager, which was the largest depot in the group! After completing a Depot General Manager Designate programme for the South East Region I gained management of my own depot in 2007 and am currently Depot General Manager of the Rotherham depot.

My day is usually so varied. I can be visiting customers and bringing on new business one day, then visiting our Administration centre to review our performance with aged debt and claim performance. It's really all about ensuring the many processes and procedures that we have to complete daily are carried out and that the depot is striving to complete the business plan. As a General Manager you are constantly moving between departments, and have to make quick decisions, so it's very useful to have done a degree that trains you to look at and understand information logically and objectively.

Where do I start when talking about training? The graduate programme gave me the Certificate in Management, which involved understanding and making recommendations to improve efficiencies. I have also completed a multitude of sales training, and management training (recruitment, development, disciplinary) and finally I have just completed the first 33% of my MBA at the University of Nottingham.

What I have enjoyed the most about my time here is the variety, the people I work with and the fact that I have developed faster than I thought I would.

Katherine Brough Graduated in 1997 from Leicester Business School at De Montfort University with a Business degree. During my third year at TNT Hornsey I was reading the Company Newsletter and saw a worldwide recruitment campaign for employees to spend 3 months abroad, working for the UN World Food Programme whom TNT sponsor. I jumped at the chance and was luckily successful! A few months later in 2003 I found myself in the heart of Tanzania. It was fun and worthwhile and such a brilliant opportunity.

It sounds 'cheesy' but I'm proud to work for a Company, with a strong Corporate Responsibility in the world we live in.

After my trip to Africa I decided I was in need of a change and so moved to TNT Managed Services in 2004 where I worked on the Warner Bros Contract. This was different altogether to what I had been used to. I was in the Client's premises managing 5 Mail Room Clerks in the Mail Room, Goods In and Reprographics. It was a very uber-cool environment and a far cry from the gritty depot environment! Eighteen months later in 2005 I decided to move to the CRESTCo Contract based off-site at TNT Vauxhall. I was fortunate to manage this contract for a prestigious City Institution, which required Client-based homework on the financial aspect of how the City operates. The operation I was managing moves pieces of paper (some worth millions) from Brokers to Registrars, this is an integral part of the City and so a demanding role. I was responsible for 26 people over 4 Sites in the UK and Ireland and so managing people remotely was a new challenge.

In 2006 I was given the opportunity to join Central London Sameday (also at TNT Vauxhall). In my present role my title is Control Centre Manager, which includes responsibility for the Depot's Health & Safety & Property Issues as well as managing Customer Service, Administration and Reception. I thoroughly enjoy the role, which is very varied. No day is the same, due to the nature of moving items from a to b, in one of the busiest cities in the world.

I have enjoyed my nine years at TNT. I think this is because the Company is large and so there's always opportunities arising in different parts of the business. The training is First Class. TNT has extremely high standards and are proud of the Investors in People accreditation. From a personal point of view I like the fact that TNT are very pro-environment and charity orientated (Wooden Spoon and UN WFP), which sets them apart from other large companies. Finally, I would say it has been a privilege to be part of TNT and so I'd definitely recommend it!

Phil Greenwood Graduated in 1998 from Staffordshire University with an LLB in Law. I was attracted to TNT because of the variety and development that was on offer. I had spoken to many graduate recruiters but this was the first company that combined training with actually letting me take hold of something, for real, and delivering upon it. Quite scary at first but if you relish a challenge and applying the theory you are being taught then it is the place for you. In this company, everything moves at a fast pace, so getting bored is not an option.

Working for a company like TNT means you have to be able to deliver upon your ideas - you need to be the sort of person who can take plans off the paper and out of the books and turn them into something that works.

I have received training in all aspects of business. The most intensive and useful of all of the courses was an 18 month Corporate Development Programme with Nottingham Trent University that was sponsored by TNT. I attended a one-day selection programme and along with 20 hand picked individuals was selected to complete a Diploma in Business Management - in other words the first year of an MBA. I will be developing this further in the future.

What I have enjoyed most about my time here are the people. I have also enjoyed the way I have been developed.

Harvey Pryor Graduated in 1996 from Liverpool John Moores University with a First Class BSc in Technology Management. After graduating I did have offers from a number of major logistics firms but I was impressed by the structure and breadth of experience I'd be expected to gain on the Graduate Training programme that TNT provided - working in all different areas of Sales, Operations and Administration - along with the "mentoring" programme.

The General Manager at a nearby depot was my personal mentor which meant that not only was I offered the training I was looking for from a graduate programme but it also meant I got support in the early part of my career from an experienced manager who could assist me in planning and developing my career during the programme and then after it too.

During my time here I have attended many training courses and one thing is for certain you don't lack training while at TNT and as my career has moved across different functions of the business it means that my training record is now 2 pages long! The good thing about TNT is that they want their employees to do the best job possible and therefore arrange suitable training for the role an employee is performing, for example I am now attending the Association of Project Managers course which is an internationally recognised Project Management qualification.

Outside of work I run TNT's softball team (TNT Tigers), which means you are able to develop relationships with other employees in the organisation. Softball is one of the quickest growing sports in the UK and we have a mixed sex team, which allows both men and women to compete on the same pitch. From a personal perspective I'm proud to have attained the level of National Champion with Nottingham Pyros alongside my coaching role for the TNT Tigers.

Finally, I would add that like most graduates moving into their first role after University I had originally envisaged staying with my first employer for only about 1-2 years. However, two months ago I completed 10 years service with the company. The variety of roles and the number of different career paths available to a new graduate at TNT has meant that I've never become bored, there's always a fresh challenge around the corner and this means there's no need to look outside of the company.

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