As lockdown begins to ease and a hint of normality glistens on the horizon, we would like to reflect on the past 12 months by talking about our business, and our team.
Despite the obstacles that the lockdown and the pandemic have presented, it has still been “business as usual” for The Aardvark Group, thanks to the skill of the team to keep things moving via frequent and productive communications (we all owe a lot to technology!).
We would like to shine a spotlight on one team member.
Whilst most of us around the world have been working from our homes, tucked away at Aardvark’s facility in the far North East of Scotland, you will find a man with a Yorkshire accent as broad as the day he left there 32 years ago.
Mark Padgett is The Aardvark Group’s Head of Operations for Land Systems, and the longest-serving Aardvark employee. In his 22 years with the company, Mark, a qualified engineer, has been involved in most areas of the business, from stores to product development, sales and service and has travelled the world overseeing Aardvark Group operations on 4 continents.
Over the past 12 months, Mark’s name has been mentioned in despatches many times for the projects he has seen through to completion in seemingly impossible circumstances with a determination to “deliver excellence for our clients’ needs, regardless of how complex the ask!”
With global business closures, furlough schemes, layoffs, cutbacks, the general upheaval and chaos caused by the pandemic, alongside post-Brexit export licencing changes, it has taken hard work and perseverance to continue to develop and nurture our 150+ company supply chain that Mark manages for Aardvark’s land system operations.
Within those companies, there are 2000+ employees, all working to export British-made goods worldwide.
Whilst Brexit was a long time in the pipeline, nobody predicted such a high-impact/low-probability event that was Covid-19, yet the resilience of our supply chain network and strong supplier/partner relationships enabled us to successfully confront the unforeseen.
“Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is all about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.”
To all the Marks and their hard-working colleagues around the country, we thank you for keeping British supply chains strong and exports thriving.