Operations Management: The joys of a broad brief

Ian Fox has recently been appointed to the position of Knights’ Operations Manager.

When we were originally drawing up the specification for the role, we kept adding responsibilities to it making it one of the most comprehensive roles in the business. When Ian looked at our job specification, he smiled and said it was exactly what he was looking for: a broad focus, plenty of challenge and contact with people from all areas of the business and beyond.

We’re delighted that Ian has joined us. He’s got straight into it having a fresh evaluation of all our production, picking and packaging processes. With a fresh pair of eyes, he’s spotting places where efficiencies can be further improved, and changes are already being implemented.

Ian was more than happy to embrace our commitment to sustainability. He’s liaising with external contractors and is keen to find those with a similar philosophy. As Ian’s responsibilities also include maintenance of our buildings and machinery, Health and Safety, and maintaining our ISO 9001 accredited quality systems, he’ll have the opportunity to ensure our green principles are respected right across the organisation.

With a broad brief, you might expect that away from work Ian likes to keep things simple. While he’s happy to admit to putting his feet up when watching sport – football’s his favourite – he also enjoys gardening and DIY. It seems that the urge to improve spills over into his hobbies. Perhaps it’s a good thing he does know how to relax: a touring caravan, weekend breaks and planning trips that take him further afield.

The joys of a broad brief and the joys of the open road. It’s a great combination.

​