DP World

I currently work as an Operations Director in contract logistics, overseeing daily operations across multiple sites in the UK and internationally. My role involves leading teams across a wide range of functions, including returns, e-commerce, retail, industrial operations, credit control, and customer services. A big part of what I do is ensuring we deliver on strategic goals for both our customers and internal teams, while also building strong, positive working cultures through leadership and mentoring.

There isn’t one fixed qualification pathway into a role like mine. Many people come from backgrounds in logistics and supply chain, business management, finance, or economics. However, I didn’t go to university. I started my career in warehousing at 17 and developed my knowledge through hands-on experience, learning from colleagues, mentors, and the different roles I progressed through.

I joined DP World in 2023 to help launch a new site in the UK, having been internally promoted from a Site Manager position. Since then, my responsibilities have grown quickly – first running two sites, and then expanding to three sites across the UK and Germany. My progression has come from consistently developing my skills and taking on new challenges as they arise.

What attracted me to this career, and what continues to motivate me, is working with people. Early on, I set myself clear goals to learn everything I could in each role I held, from Team Leader through to Operations Director. I’ve always been driven to improve, and I enjoy helping others do the same. Being able to build strong team cultures and deliver results across different departments keeps the role exciting and rewarding.

Interestingly, logistics wasn’t my original plan – I initially wanted to work in sports. But once I started in the sector, I realised how fast-paced and dynamic it is. That environment allowed me to develop quickly, gain hands-on experience, and continuously build new skills as I moved between roles and businesses.

The best part of my job is the people. Coaching, mentoring, and supporting individuals through challenges, and then seeing them grow and succeed, is incredibly rewarding.

My biggest career highlight so far has been seeing the people I’ve mentored progress into new roles and change the direction of their careers. Knowing that I’ve played a part in that journey is something I’m really proud of.

My journey shows that there isn’t one set path into logistics. With the right attitude, a willingness to learn, and a strong work ethic, it’s possible to build a successful and fulfilling career from the ground up.

I’m currently an apprentice at DP World, where I work on a wide range of maintenance and repair tasks across the many assets we have at the port. The role is really varied – one day I might be focused on mechanical systems, the next on electrical work or fluid power. Alongside my hands-on work, I also attend college one day a week to complete my NVQ and continue developing my knowledge and skills.

To get into this role, I needed passes in my GCSEs. I didn’t go to university, as I knew I wanted a more practical, hands-on career path. I actually found out about the opportunity through family, which gave me a great starting point to explore something I was already interested in.

What really attracted me to the position was my passion for engineering. I’ve always enjoyed understanding how things work and being able to fix or improve them. During school, I took part in more hands-on courses, which helped me realise that I’m much more suited to practical work rather than purely classroom-based learning. That experience confirmed that a role like this would be a good fit for me.

Since starting the apprenticeship, I’ve developed a wide range of technical skills across mechanical, electrical, and fluid systems. I’ve also built confidence, problem-solving ability, and teamwork skills, which are just as important in a busy port environment.

The best thing about my role is definitely the people I work with. Everyone is supportive, knowledgeable, and willing to help you learn, which makes a big difference when you’re starting out and developing your skills.

My biggest career highlight so far has been seeing how much progress I’ve made since I first started. I can clearly see how much more I know now, and how I’ve grown not just professionally, but personally as well. It’s rewarding to look back and realise how far I’ve come and it motivates me to keep improving.

Overall, my apprenticeship has given me the opportunity to turn my passion for engineering into a career, while continuously learning and developing in a real-world environment.

I currently work as a Senior Project Manager within the Contract Logistics division at DP World. In my role, I am responsible for managing all aspects of new projects related to our contract logistics portfolio. These projects can vary widely, from customers expanding their existing operations within the business to the build and launch of entirely new logistics sites and customer implementations.

My responsibility is to ensure that both internal and external stakeholders remain aligned throughout the project lifecycle. I oversee the project scope, budget and timeline, ensuring everything stays on track from the initial kick-off phase through to final delivery. Ultimately, the success of a project relies on strong management, clear processes and effective communication to ensure it is delivered on time, within budget and in line with the agreed scope.

To reach this level in my career, I have built up nine years of experience working within logistics, across a range of operational and project-based roles. Over the past four years, I have specialised in project management and have also achieved the Project Management Professional (PMP) qualification, which has helped further develop my knowledge and expertise in delivering complex projects.

I studied Business Management at Leeds Beckett University, where I completed a four-year degree. My studies provided a strong foundation in how businesses operate, which has been very valuable in understanding the commercial and strategic elements of large logistics projects.

I found my current role through LinkedIn. The opportunity stood out to me because of the scale and variety of projects available within such a large global organisation. I was particularly attracted to the idea that no two days would be the same, and that the role would offer opportunities for continued growth and development.

My interest in logistics began early in my career while working for a food manufacturer. At the time, the business was growing quickly and we needed to build and set up a new warehouse to support that growth. Being involved in that process sparked my interest in large-scale operations and project work. I’ve always been calm under pressure, and I found that I was able to quickly identify key steps and actions needed to keep things moving and ensure deadlines were met.

During school, I was often described as very talkative, and I was part of a public speaking group that competed across the Midlands. Looking back, I believe that experience played a big role in shaping my confidence when presenting to large groups. Today, that skill helps me communicate effectively with project teams and present to senior stakeholders while maintaining a professional and direct approach.

One of the things I enjoy most about my role is the variety. It’s very rare that you’ll work on the same type of project twice, so each new project brings different challenges, teams and customers. I enjoy the process of building relationships quickly with new stakeholders and ensuring everyone works together towards a shared goal. There’s also a huge sense of pride at the end of a project when you can walk away from a brand-new site, see a fully functioning operation and know that you played a key role in making it happen.

One of my biggest career highlights so far was leading the project for a 600,000 square foot site in the north of England. I was responsible not only for the construction and fit-out of the building but also for the implementation of the anchor customer who would occupy around 50,000 pallet spaces within the facility. The timelines were extremely tight and required a huge amount of coordination to keep a project team of more than 20 people aligned and on track. After months of planning and hard work, seeing the racking filled with customer product was a really proud moment and a reminder of what strong teamwork and effective project management can achieve.