My Journey: Doug Gunter

Reconomy has built a reputation for developing and promoting from within its own ranks, and that can sometimes include recognising and nurturing skillsets beyond those that a member of staff was originally employed for.

One of the most striking examples of this is the career trajectory of Doug Gunter, who during his 7 years at Reconomy has gone from being a Customer Services Coordinator to the company’s in-house Videographer.

Doug joined Reconomy in 2014, having already spent 10 years working in a customer services role at The Royal Bank of Scotland. As a Customer Services Coordinator for Reconomy, Doug worked as a front-line call handler, regularly speaking with customers, booking on waste services, and handling queries.

Looking back, Doug said: “At that time, my interest in videography was purely recreational. I enjoyed making videos as a hobby, and it was a pipe dream of mine to do it professionally, but I’d always assumed I’d have to go freelance to do that. I never for one moment thought I’d get employed to be a videographer.”

Doug seized his opportunity in 2017 when he was asked by Reconomy’s Marketing Team if he could document a supplier event attended by over 100 representatives of Reconomy’s supply chain network. Doug immediately impressed with his work ethic, capturing the energy of the event, interviewing attendees, and producing a finished video that was shared online.

For the remainder of 2017 Doug occupied a dual role, frequently being seconded to the Marketing Team for special projects, including Reconomy’s annual Christmas Video. In 2018 he was made a full-time member of the Marketing Team and formally appointed as Reconomy’s Videographer.

Doug continued: “It’s been a pretty amazing journey. I was already a seasoned customer services professional when I joined Reconomy, and I naturally assumed that was the direction my career was going to go. I had no formal qualifications in videography, so I’m hugely grateful to have been given the opportunity to show what I’m capable of.”

In addition to producing countless videos for Reconomy, Doug has also been responsible for upgrading all the equipment used, giving Reconomy access to professional-grade cameras, the means to shoot and edit video in 4K and use of the latest technology, including drones. He also works in a Producer capacity, overseeing videos produced by third-party marketing agencies to ensure they are on message and on brand.

Doug concluded: “Looking back at what I was capable of 4 years ago, my skills as a Videographer have continued to improve massively. It’s a skill that constantly evolves; the more you keep doing it the better you get and the more creative and experimental you can be. That’s definitely the best part of my job – being able to physically make something that didn’t previously exist and then having the satisfaction of seeing people watch and enjoy it.”