Internal Promotion – Lee Gibson

The progression of our employees is a core focus for us at Suttons. We want our staff to develop and learn new skills that will equip them for the future, providing them with the support and tools needed to grow. Promoting from within is something we are very focused on and that’s why we recruit people with potential to progress within our organisation.

Lee Gibson joined Suttons in 2014 as a driver, working on GP contracts and anhydrous ammonia. After assisting with the role of a Driver Training Instructor for six months, he was promoted to a permanent position which he upheld for three years. Through this role, Lee was able to give first-hand advice and guidance to other drivers while also learning more about the safety element which he has a strong passion for.

Safety is at the heart of everything we do and at Suttons we always put safety first. Lee fully epitomises this behavioural based safety culture that we have created within our organisation and is always seeking opportunities to learn more to improve his knowledge or identifying areas for further improvement.

Lee has recently been promoted to Site Assessor on our Yorkshire Water contract. There are 650 sites that Lee will be looking after and each site takes between 2-3 hours, on average, to assess. In this role Lee will be conducting safety assessments at each site, looking specifically at accessibility, risk assessing procedures and equipment, as well evaluating the suitability of the site for vehicles.

As Lee has been on the road for over 20 years in many different roles he is able to see things from a driver’s perspective. He understands the complexity of the role and the challenges they face and so can give guidance and appropriately mentor. His multitude of experience also allows him to look at everything from a safety perspective, ensuring that our colleagues, customers and the general public are kept as safe as possible, at all times.

Lee is also a huge advocate for promoting a healthy lifestyle to our driver community who naturally have sedentary jobs. He runs a popular Facebook page called Truckers Who Run which encourages drivers to increase their activity levels and motivate each other to be healthier and fitter. This is a fantastic group and Lee’s proactive nature has enabled it to be a real success.

In his new role Lee is most looking forward to getting the sites to the highest level of safety possible. Taking on extra responsibility and ownership of the safety of these sites is motivating for Lee and he is excited to see the added value he can bring to the business and the Yorkshire Water contract.

Congratulations on the new role, Lee, we are really looking forward to seeing you develop even further.