JW Filshill has announced two internal promotions within the business as Scott Sutherland takes on the role of regional development manager, based in the north of Scotland, and Jodi Hendry steps up to the key position of customer services manager.
Sutherland, who was previously a supervisor in the Renfrewshire-based wholesaler’s warehouse operational division, first joined the company at 16, encouraged by his dad George Sutherland who is Filshill’s outbound operations manager, before getting experience working elsewhere. Before returning to the business five years ago, Scott managed an entertainment company that offers DJ, karaoke, quiz and cabaret services to venues.
He said: “Filshill is a great company to work for, and I’ve been mentored and encouraged to take on more responsibilities over the years,” he said. “For me, it’s the family and community aspects of the business that I enjoy and I’m proud to be the second generation of my own family to work for Filshill.
“Taking on the role of regional development manager is a big challenge for me in my personal life and development but I am looking forward to working with new colleagues and meeting retailers in the north of Scotland – a huge territory which takes in Shetland, Orkney and some of the other islands.”
Describing himself as a “Swiss army knife”, Sutherland believes that working in warehouse operations for the last five years has given him a broad overview of the Filshill business and valuable insight into how a smooth logistics division benefits the company’s retail customers.
“I’ve done everything from pick and replenish to load trucks and supervise – the only thing I’ve not done is drive trucks,” he explained. “I also spent time on secondment with our Epos team so all that experience will allow me to better understand the issues affecting our customers and work with them when problems arise. It’s important to know the nuts and bolts of a business.”
Sutherland, who currently lives in Paisley, is relocating to Inverness. “It’s a huge territory so I need to live centrally within that territory to best serve the needs of our existing customers but also to recruit new customers to the KeyStore brand. Ultimately, it’s a job that is all about people and I can’t wait to get out there to start meeting them.”
Reporting to sales manager Elaine Feeney, Sutherland added: “Filshill has put a great deal of faith in me. I applied for another job within the company and didn’t get it, but I was encouraged to keep going and push myself to progress my career. I am grateful to have this new opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Jodi Hendry, 22, moves from customer service adviser to customer service manager after three years with the Filshill business, replacing Joyce Johnston who held the role for several years.
She described her new role as “absolutely fantastic” for someone of her age but added: “My age doesn’t define me. Joyce trained me so I learned from the best – she taught me to work hard, be diligent, respectful and always put the customer first.
“It’s a great department where everyone helps you, everyone learns to adapt to change. Yes, it’s challenging and often fast-moving and problems do sometimes arise – but we all have the same goal and that is to help our customers.”
Hendry, who previously worked in Burger King at nearby Glasgow Airport, initially set out to be a primary school teacher but decided that further education wasn’t for her. She had heard of Filshill because a friend worked at the company – and encouraged her to apply for a job there.
“Since joining Filshill, my confidence has soared and I have come into my new role with an open mind and the belief that I can be successful, support the team and wider business, and be a key member of the Filshill ‘family’.”
Commenting on the promotions of Sutherland and Hendry, Craig Brown, Filshill’s sales and marketing officer, said: “We’re delighted to see both Scott and Jodi develop their careers with Filshill. It’s important that we recognise hard work and commitment.
“By developing internal talent, we are showing our people across the business that they can enjoy a long and fulfilling career with prospects to grow and develop. Both Scott and Jodi are prime examples of how Filshill nurtures and encourages colleagues to step outside their comfort zone and take on new challenges with the support of colleagues who share their values, early identification of talent being part of the process.”
Brown added: “As we accelerate recruitment of new customers to KeyStore and reinforce our ambition to be the first-choice symbol group for tech-savvy, entrepreneurial retailers who value great service and community support, we welcome both Scott and Jodi to their new roles and the next chapter in their respective careers.”
