Sarah Wellstead Email and Phone Number

Responsible for all aspects of managing the fleet, grey fleet, driving compliance and working to decarbonise driving at Hoare Lea in line with net zero commitments.Developed and proposed a plan to reduce carbon from driving across the firm which included two schemes and a road map to lowering carbon from the grey fleet.Implemented the new car schemes March 2023 including pre-launch coms in conjunction with marketing, launch day webinar with Octopus EV / HR and scheme changes with Alphabet.Daily management of car schemes including checking driver financial eligibility, authorisation of orders, order progression, reallocation of assets, motor insurance claims, end of lease process, checking all fleet and hire invoices, notifying payroll of car changes for P46 car, preparation of data for P11D.Point of contact for circa 1.2k employees at all grades from new employees to Director in regard to the company cars schemes and driving at work.Escalation point for driver and hire car users.Primary contact for all suppliers.Creation and development of excel based databases and reports to manage the fleet.Management of risks associated with driving for work (fleet and grey fleet) including writing Driving Policy, Driver Handbook, Risk Assessment.Preparation of reports for senior management, supply ad-hoc carbon / driving data to the business.Develop and maintain relationships with existing suppliers, follow best practice to source and select new suppliers in accordance with ethical procurement policy.Consideration of Hoare Lea strategy in all areas of my role, alignment with North Star principal of balancing the needs of our people with the needs of the planet.Networking within fleet industry, developing relationships with OEMs and fleet suppliers in order to provide the best service to our people.Twice nominated and shortlisted for 'Us at Our Best' award (2022 & 2023)

I started My Smart Assistant when my children were small to enable me to work flexibly and offer the business support skills I had developed over my career. I worked with a range of clients including sole traders, limited companies, SMEs, a charity and another VA as an associate. With the support of an IT friend, I created a website using Drupal developed skills with GSuite, Google Forms, Sheets, Docs and file sharing.I am experienced in client relationship management, fleet management, driving risk management, general admin, credit control, minute taking, research, report writing, and compiling expenses. I am always interested in new opportunities that challenge my skill set and allow me to learn new skills. My Smart Assistant has been mothballed since January 2020 when I took full time employment at Hoare Lea. In the future, My Smart Assistant may offer assistance to businesses looking to transition to electric vehicles as this is an area where I feel I have a wealth of lived experience that could benefit organisations on their journey towards more sustainable business driving.

Built, maintained and developed a relationship with a portfolio of circa 140 clients understanding each clients business and their customers' needs from a delivery point of view.Monitored revenue, contribution and percentage of non-compatible traffic for each client taking action to ensure revenue and contribution maintained/increased and working with clients to reduce the volume of non-compatible traffic.Negotiated annual price increases and defended against competitors.Monitored any variance in trade and took necessary action to regenerate lost accountsIdentified opportunities for upsell and worked to gain this additional business.I was the point of escalation for client issues coordinating with with all other departments within DPD to resolve client issues/complaints.Built and developed relationships with DPD depots, Distribution Centres and DPD Local Franchisees, gaining an understanding of the operation and assisting as needed.Arranged and attended face to face client meetings and built multi-level relationships within the clients’ organisation. Presented key business updates and gain client knowledge to help identify further opportunities.Updated and maintained Salesforce in line with business KPI’s, recorded details of all meetings, phone calls and tasks accurately, logged all relevant email correspondence with clients.Met deadlines for business information as required such as Brexit and peak planning.I was the point of contact for aligned account clients and accessible to them as required via mobile, email and face to face meetings.Use of Salesforce, GSuite, Microsoft Office and MAC (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Keynote, Google forms)

Responsible for co-ordinating the collection of data from 7 weekly breastfeeding support groups, ensuring data is collected in accordance with GDPR regulations and ethos, creating reports for Trustee meetings and providing data to support grant applications when required. When I took on the role in Jan 2017 the charity budgeted 7 hours a month average for this role, due to the manual data collection process the time required exceeded the budget. By introducing the use of an electronic form for those attending the groups to sign in, there has been a significant improvement to the quality of the data captured and the speed at which specific reports can be created for grant applications or other projects. The workload has also been reduced to around 1 hour per month which has resulted in a £650 a year reduction in admin costs. GBSN is run entirely on donations and the £650 saving equates to around 8 support group sessions or just over a weeks worth.In addition to the data role I was also a driving force in moving the charities IT to GSuite Non Profit which has improved professionalism within the organisation, improved communication, enabled collaborative working and ensured all charity data is saved securely within the control of the charity. I manage the set up of new logins and re-assign when needed and offer training to those who need it.

Responsible for the day to day management of the firms fleet of circa 140 company cars reporting to the Financial Controller & Finance Director.Primary contact for all company car queries internally and externally and source of fleet informationManaging the new car order process from informing new starters and new Executives of the car scheme options through to delivery of their new car and beyondManagement of the relationship between Hoare Lea and key suppliers ensuring service meets expectations and managing and ensuring resolution of issues where they arise Checking of all car related invoices and passing for payment Ensuring all car related documents and policies are kept up to date and communicating to drivers via email and the intranet as requiredResponsible for fleet database accuracy and updating HMRC and Payroll of driver changesPreparation of P11D Car benefit data annuallyCollation of Partner mileage information for annual tax returnsAssisting Finance Director during supplier contract reviews and re-negotiations Producing fleet reports for Partners, Finance Director and HR as requestedKeeping up to date with legislation affecting company car fleets to ensure Hoare Lea are compliant

Responsible for a Top 30 client managing all aspects of the relationship and managing project work.Primary contact between company and client, building and maintaining strong & trusting relationships with key client contacts. Achieving business targets for retention, developing and exploiting opportunities for new business, arranging, attending and managing monthly client meetings to review service, discuss strategy, present company initiatives and develop new business, liaising with internal departments to achieve client needs and meet business objectives

Responsible for a portfolio of 8 key clients with combined average annual spend of £6m in the South West & WalesPrimary contact between company and client, building and maintaining strong & trusting relationships with key client contacts at all levels of management including CEO, Director, Logistics and Customer Service ManagersAchieving business targets for retention (100% of clients retained)Developing and exploiting opportunities for new businessArranging, attending and managing monthly client meetings to review service, discuss strategy, present company initiatives and develop new businessLiaising with internal departments to achieve client needs and meet business objectives** made redundant 31 January 2011 **

Daisy's UK sold quality, funky prams and pushchairs via the web and at shows. Tag line; prams as individual as you are......I set up and ran this business as a hobby alongside full time employment in the courier industry.Wrote website content & product descriptionsControl of website layout, promotions and pricingMarketing using Google Ads, Flyers and word of mouthDirect selling to general public at three major baby shows at Earls Court, Excel London and NECOrder processing, customer service and after sales supportRecord keeping & invoice paymentNetworking within the industry and building contacts for new products

DPD & Interlink Express Responsible for a portfolio of 110 clients average with combined average weekly spend of £65k across two DPD depots and seven Interlink depots in the South West, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire & MonmouthshireBuilding and maintaining strong & trusting relationships with key client contacts, Franchisees, Sales Executives, Depot Managers and other internal departmentsAchieving business targets for up sell and regeneration; 2009 achieved over 500% of targetDeveloping and exploiting opportunities for new businessDefending against competitors by reviewing pricing and promoting key differentiators Regeneration of lost accountsManaging quotes and negotiating annual rate increases Arranging, attending and following up client meetingsResolving client issues and responding to changing needsPromoting and endorsing service enhancements and managing smooth transitionMaintaining client files and updating internal sales database (Salesforce)Weekly, monthly and ad-hoc reporting to the business

Interlink Express credit control department BristolResponsible for a ledger of 1500 customers with average monthly spend ranging from £10 - £150kCredit control - ensuring customers adhered to payment terms and credit limitsUpdating client information using Agresso and AS400Building and maintaining relationships with customers, sales executives and franchiseesMeeting monthly cash collection and query resolution targetsOJT - On Job Trainer - responsible for training of new employeesPart of Weight Discrepancy project team looking into over sized & 'ugly' parcels at the central sorting hub and making recommendations to the business for change

I temped in December 2004 then returned to work for the company following the winter season.PA to partners and Development ManagerCollation of information for investment proposalsCreation of investor information packsBrochure design using Microsoft PublisherFiling system set upGeneral office admin

Taught groups of up to 5 children aged 3-4 years old to ski Greeted children and parents each morning and assigned children to an appropriate levelAssisted the supervisor and instructors with daily issuesAccompanied injured children to the medical clinic until parents arrival

Sole charge nanny looking after babies and children whilst on holiday with their families in The Courchevel and Meribel ski resort areas. Assignments were typically a week long and duties ranged from full day care for babies to organising age appropriate snow based activities for siblings and family friends whilst on holiday. At the weekends I also worked as a transfer rep for TUI escorting guests to and from the local airports of Lyon, Chambery and Geneva.

In resort representative for Thompson and Crystal Holidays covering a number of hotels and catered chalets within the 1850 ski resort area. Weekly transfers to Lyon, Chamberry and Geneva airports meeting guests and escorting them to resort accommodation. Selling of lift passes, ski school and excursions, organising and running evening entertainment and some ski guiding. Resolving guest issues and liaising with hotel management to achieve best possible guest experience.

I worked for Training Centres UK which was funded via the Government Learndirect program. TCUK went out of business early 2003, I left before the collapse of the company.Enrolled students and advised on courses availableHelped set up five new centres acorss the SouthSupported students during their learning

Chalet host for independent ski chalet holiday company, responsible for all aspects of guest experience other than main catering. Working in a team with three other staff running a luxury chalet for up to 12 guests at Courchevel 1650.

Supply Chain Management of steel initally to construction clients then into key automotive clientCommunicated with customers in UK and Turkey Negotiated with other departments to achieve deadlinesMet with customers to discuss supply and resolve issuesDeveloped new systems and best practice Reported to Director levelControlled stock levelsCompleted many industry courses and achieved HNC in Business and finance