Interview: Introducing Tom Mockridge, Commercial Director

Tom began his career as Paper Round's first employee, now he's back with a wealth of experience in the newly created Commercial Director role. We had a chat with him after his first month to find out about his career so far, and his plans at Paper Round.

You started working with Paper Round in the beginning, as the first employee. What have you been up to between then and now?

I’ve had a career in the IT and telecoms industry. I worked a few years for a regulator, I then moved into sales, product marketing and product management roles. My career has spanned a large multinational (Motorola), a tech start-up and a mid-sized corporate - so I’ve had broad experience.

What is your focus for the first six months at Paper Round?

I think there’s three main things to do. Firstly, I need to thoroughly understand Paper Round from an operational point of view. I want to be sure everything I do is founded in detailed knowledge of how the company works and the way all the bits fit together. The second task is to make sure the teams are structured efficiently to deliver the best service to the customer base. The third thing is to bring in good practice in the areas I have had experience in, marketing, product marketing, sales management and account management.

How will bringing account management, sales and office supplies under one Director, benefit clients?

I think we recognise that things could be more seamless in the way we are set up. Appointing a Commercial Director allows more time and resources to be spent on getting the management of these teams optimally for a joined up approach. The aim is to make it easier for clients to do business with us.

What are you most looking forward to in your new role?

I started working at Paper Round many years ago as I felt strongly about the benefits of recycling. I have been working in a very different world, which has been great - but now I am back doing something I really believe in and can get my teeth into in the later stages of my career. I am really excited to have the chance to do that. It’s a great opportunity for me.

Paper Round has gone from paper recycling, to a full service waste management company, what’s next?

There’s a lot to do. Just keeping going with innovation in all aspects of what we already do is a big task in itself. I don’t see a revolutionary shift in the near future, we just need to keep our foot on the gas and continue to deliver and lead in our area of expertise.