Lou Read, Commercial Executive, Zafire Group Ltd
It’s always a pleasure to welcome new members to the Zafire team and we’re delighted to introduce Lou Read, our new Commercial Executive, who joined the Commercial Team at our HQ in Banbury, UK in mid-October 2021. Lou brings a wealth of experience and a vast range of skills to her role, and we’re discovering she can turn her hand to just about anything: she’s very talented!
We caught up with Lou after a few weeks in her new role to discover her initial thoughts about Zafire Group and her aspirations for her role as Commercial Executive, as well as to get to know a little bit more about her both personally and professionally.
What were your first impressions of working at Zafire Group?
On my first day, Group HR Manager, Lorraine, took me through my induction over the course of a couple of hours to give me a thorough and insightful grounding in all things Zafire. The next day, I went to the office, where I was given a lovely welcome and a delicious coffee by Jackie, Office Support Co-ordinator, and shown to my desk where everything had been set up ready for me to hit the ground running and was, of course, in perfect working order (you’d expect nothing less from such a capable tech company!). The day whizzed by in a whirl of objective-setting with my line manager, Rachel, Commercial Director, who heads up our team, and meetings with the key department heads from Service and Delivery, who outlined how their teams interact with my own team.
My first impressions of Zafire Group were that it’s a flexible business where employee wellbeing is paramount: the company genuinely cares about its staff. Everyone was incredibly friendly and I got a hugely positive vibe from each and every individual. There was a real buzz to the place and everyone was very driven to succeed.
What does your role at Zafire involve?
Although it’s too early to describe a typical day and hybrid working is a new experience for me, it’s clear that my remit is to help implement and streamline business processes. I’m here to support the growth of the business, raise brand awareness, and deliver key projects. I was already familiar with Zafire Group before I applied for the role of Commercial Executive and it’s exciting to join a company which prides itself on innovation. I’m looking forward to supporting Zafire’s continued growth and generating new business.
What does true leadership look like to you?
I believe that you have to lead by example: you can’t ask someone to do something you’re not prepared to do yourself. Having honesty and integrity as your core values, i.e. being true to yourself, is also very important.
What are three career lessons you have learned so far?
I’ve learned to take advantage of any learning opportunity, to be flexible and expect change, and to listen and be open to other people’s opinions.
How do you define success?
Maintaining high standards of working and taking pride in what you do are critical to professional success, in my opinion.
We’re an innovative aviation and service management software company so, we have to ask, what is the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime?
It has to be the mobile phone, doesn’t it? Mobile technology remains all the rage and Zafire Group are right up there with the best of tech in this respect.
What is the most unusual task you have ever done in your career?
I was working as a team leader for a well-known home improvement and garden centre retailer, helping them to open a new branch. As part of a motivational session, we learned how to perform a Haka (ceremonial dance in Māori culture): it was a brilliant laugh once we’d overcome our initial embarrassment!
Zafire Group is well-known in the world of commercial aviation, enabling passengers to get to their favourite destinations as smoothly as possible: where would you like to go on your dream vacation?
That would have to be a Mediterranean cruise taking in the Greek islands and the Ancient Greek sights. My 50th birthday is coming up so I’m hoping to make that dream vacation a reality before too long.
Thank you, Lou, and best of luck in your new role!
