Company: Kuehne+Nagel
Role: Risk Manager
Moving careers can be a daunting prospect, but skills and experience gathered from a diverse range of past workplaces can be applied to the logistics industry in all sorts of ways. That’s exactly what Helen brings to her role as a Risk Manager.
“I gained transferable skills through my time in the army, and working for a Local Authority. Prioritising responsibilities, dealing with emergencies, organisational skills, communication, qualifications around training, debriefing, trauma management, and strategic management in emergencies.”
That role isn’t so much about ownership of the risk, as it is about becoming an expert in the subject matter, through facilitation, problem solving and communication – both verbal and written. But it wasn’t a role, or an industry, that appealed at first.
“For my generation, it was never an aspiring career choice when I was at school. Although growing up as a young girl, the idea of being a long-distance lorry driver really appealed to me! Fast forward a number of years and being invited in for an interview I was very intrigued with the industry. I never realised the depth of roles required in logistics.
A whole world of opportunities spread out in front of Helen, offering everything from compliance and regulations, to analytics, project management, training and IT. Day to day, she collaborates with senior managers and business unit managers to keep risk assessments up to date, as well as contributing to education and training. A continuing challenge, but one that uses all sorts of skills for all kinds of rewards.