Company: Morrisons
Role: Transport Business Development
I work in transport business development at Morrisons, alongside managing third-party logistics providers. My role focuses on improving performance, building strong relationships with stakeholders, and ensuring transport operations run efficiently and sustainably across the business.
There isn’t a strict qualification requirement for my role, although many of my colleagues have degrees in business management or hold a CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence). I hold an International CPC, which lasts indefinitely. I also completed the Morrisons Degree Apprenticeship Scheme, where I gained a Business Management degree from the University of Bradford, as well as a qualification from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
I entered this role through a placement during my degree apprenticeship. I was really determined to secure a permanent position, so I pushed myself to stand out and demonstrate what I could bring to the team – and that paid off!
What attracted me to the role was the opportunity to broaden my experience. I had already completed placements across warehousing and logistics, and I wanted to develop a deeper understanding of stakeholder management. This role brought all of that together and gave me exposure to multiple areas of the business.
At school, I enjoyed maths and working with numbers, but I didn’t feel that a purely classroom-based environment suited me. I found that I learn much better in a hands-on, real-world setting, which is why logistics appealed to me. It gave me the opportunity to apply analytical thinking in a practical environment. I was also motivated to succeed as a woman in what has traditionally been a male-dominated sector, inspired by my mum as a role model.
The best thing about my role is the variety and level of exposure I get across the business. I enjoy having accountability for performance, as well as the responsibility of holding others accountable for key KPIs. The constant cycle of improvement keeps things exciting and motivates me to keep pushing for better results.
My biggest career highlight so far has been when I was given responsibility for two regional sites that were operating with a negative P&L (profit and loss). I worked closely with key stakeholders to identify opportunities for improvement, analysing the end-to-end process from ordering through to supply chain controls. I also collaborated with logistics planners to reduce empty running.
Within six months, we were able to turn both sites to a positive P&L, while also supporting wider sustainability initiatives. I’m incredibly proud of the work I put into that project and the results we achieved – it was a real turning point in my career and showed me what’s possible with the right focus and teamwork.