My Journey: Ben Whitaker
Priding itself on developing and promoting from within its own ranks, Reconomy has once again recognised and rewarded the great work of a longstanding employee, following the announcement that Ben Whitaker has been promoted into the role of Supply Chain Manager.
Having joined Reconomy back in April 2016, following the conclusion of his university studies, Ben’s journey began in a customer service role within the construction and infrastructure team. Working as a Customer Services Coordinator, Ben took front-line calls, regularly speaking with large customers and assisting with both the booking of services and the handling of queries.
Following his successful spell as a Customer Services Coordinator, in 2018 Ben took on a new challenge in the Operations department as a Procurement Executive. Using the buying knowledge acquired in his new role, Ben then moved into the Commercial team in 2019 as Project Lead, which saw him identifying new and innovative ways to increase recycling rates for Reconomy customers.
Having gained invaluable experience and industry knowledge throughout his 7 years in the business, Reconomy is delighted to be rewarding Ben for all his hard work with this latest promotion. In his new role as Supply Chain Manager, Ben will be responsible for the development and nurturing of existing supply chain partner relationships across the country. We are certain that suppliers will greatly benefit from Ben’s extensive knowledge of the waste industry.
Looking back, Ben said:
“When I first joined Reconomy back in 2016, it wasn’t because I had a pre-existing knowledge of the waste industry. However, I recognised that Reconomy was a long-established business, that was only going to get bigger and better.
I wanted to work for a business that would help me to develop, progress, and ascertain a lifelong career. Joining Reconomy gave me the opportunity and platform to do just that. Reconomy has introduced me to a wealth of prospects and opportunities that enabled me to progress and eventually lead into the Supply chain environment.
Upon joining Reconomy, I had no idea that I would enjoy working within the waste and commodity industry as much as I do now. The journey to where I am now has been a long one, but my work ethic has never changed. There is so much to learn about the waste industry, particularly in regard to law, legislation, and compliance, and that’s just scratching the surface.”
Ben continued:
“Since joining Reconomy nearly 7 years ago, my knowledge of this ever-changing industry has grown exponentially, both through self-learning but also through working with fantastic people, teachers, and mentors. The internal and external people I have been introduced to, liaised with, built great rapport with and the opportunities that have been presented to me by Reconomy have been nothing short of amazing.
Do I still have a lot to learn? Of course! But that challenge to improve, to amplify sustainability, and to create better ways of working – not only for Reconomy but the whole waste industry – is what keeps me striving to improve. My goal is to keep growing within this challenging industry, further develop my career, and continue contributing to this ever-growing company”