Moto

My first experience of Moto was at the age of 18 having completed my education to a high level but wanting a career instead of heading off to university. I applied for a shift manager position in the Burger King department at the Oxford services and have never looked back.

The company offered real opportunities and exciting challenges which is what attracted me to Moto, and they have never failed to deliver.

After being with the company for only six months I was offered the opportunity to enter an assessment day for the graduate scheme. I was successful on the day and offered an Assistant Manager position again in Burger King but this time at Chieveley Services near Newbury.

This new role was a great opportunity for me to learn the trade under an experienced Department Manager. I was tasked to focus on the people aspects of the business and was responsible for recruitment and retention, training, and supervising the unit on a day-to-day basis. With the experience gained through training others I was able to not only broaden my own operational knowledge but to help move the unit forward operationally. Towards the end of my 12 months at Chieveley, with the confidence gained from my experience, I became more involved with the financial side of things looking at sales forecasting, wage controls and stock management and was able to take my next step with a good level of understanding of the business.

I have now worked at five different sites from Brighton to the Head Office site at Toddington, Bedforshire, working with seven different brands, meeting hundreds of amazing people throughout the business and gaining some fantastic managerial experience. My last position was as Deputy General Manager at the third busiest site in Moto with responsibilities of delivering £4 million bottom line profit, working with over 200 employees and developing a management team of 14 personnel. In June 2008 I was appointed into my first site as General Manager and still only 25........... so if it's opportunity that you are looking then look no further than Moto.

Moto has certainly been a challenge that has completely changed my life but to coin a phrase 'you get out what you put in'. I have put a lot into Moto and still have goals that I want to achieve.

My first experience of Moto was through their graduate assessment centre. It was made clear that real opportunities and exciting challenges would be on offer and I haven't been disappointed. That was in 1998 and since then I have progressed from the role of Assistant Manager in Burger King to running my own Moto site in less than 3 years. I have run various sites along the M4 corridor having overall responsibility for profit delivery, operational standards and the development of my management team.

As a company, Moto value proactive and highly motivated people and operate an open door policy at all levels. In fact they are willing to go that extra mile to ensure that their managers can enjoy real opportunities for development. A couple of years ago I took a sabbatical in South America. I taught English to Bolivian children living in La Paz's slums which was both challenging and humbling. Being in a room with 30 children who'd never spoken English before, with no guidelines, resources or standard curriculum to rely on was quite daunting. But I quickly found that the management skills I had gained were transferable and in next to no time we were all singing the Hokey Kokey together. Like my role at Moto, every day brought tremendous variety and required me to adapt to new situations and challenges. I had a fantastic year which saw me building houses, climbing Andean peaks and swimming in the Amazon. I even managed to get myself a job as a Sports writer for the Bolivian Times!

I came back as a General Manager Designate to the same benefits that I had left behind. Within 3 months of returning to the UK I was appointed as General Manager for Cardiff. Within two years I was appointed into my third site as General Manager. This was to the flag ship site at Reading. Whilst working at Reading I was involved in the evolution of the business which saw the introduction of WHSmith, Marks & Spencer Simply Food and Caffe Ritazza being rolled out across the business. I was also heavily involved in delivering the Supervisory Development Program, which allowed me to work with and develop Supervisors from across the region.

My latest challenge is to open Britain's newest and greenest Motorway Service Area at Wetherby. It is a fantastic experience to watch something evolve from a Greenfield site to a fully functioning Motorway Service Area, and in that respect it is very similar to life at Moto – challenging, varied and very full of opportunity!

After graduating from the University of Luton with a degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications, I trialled a number of positions before I discovered my perfect position as a Marketing Assistant with Moto 6 years ago. As many graduates will know, without any previous experience in your chosen field it is often very difficult to secure that first appointment. Although I had gained considerable administrative experience I was still finding it difficult to secure a position in Marketing, however, Moto obviously saw that I had potential and were prepared to offer me an opportunity to demonstrate that.

My position was completely new within the business and so I have been able to influence how the role evolved into what it is today. There is so much variety that no two days are ever the same.

Moto has given me the opportunity to learn and develop my skills in Marketing and to put into practice the theory acquired from my degree. My knowledge of the business and retail catering industry continues to grow not only within the Marketing department but also in other areas of the business, where I have had the opportunity to work on various projects. Moto has provided me with the opportunity to gain valuable experience working on a wide range of projects. It is very exciting getting involved in Marketing projects from conception and seeing them through the development stage to being launched into the business. I've now worked on several brand launches such as the Eat & Drink Company, Burger King, WHSmith and Costa Coffee. I have been very fortunate to find a company where there are inspiring people willing to give me the time, support and encouragement to reach my full potential. I thoroughly enjoy working for Moto and I hope to grow my career successfully for many more years with the business