PATHWAY TO PROGRESS
MEET TT
I joined Sidekick in the summer of 2012. At that time, it was not Sidekick; it was still Clearwater Cleaning before rebranding to Sidekick a few years later.
An opportunity arose to join as a housekeeper to help sparkle clean the new opening of our first London contract—Amazon at Barbican station. I worked there for 2 years, gaining experience, as I wanted to develop administrative and managerial experience.
Later, I had the opportunity to transfer to Milton Keynes and work alongside Maureen and Colin within the head office during the day, and in the evenings, I was doing quality control work across Milton Keynes contracts and auditing their standards. Through this, I learned more about our suppliers, managing staff, and completing admin tasks when necessary.
Shortly after, I moved back to London to work in one of our biggest buildings at that time, Amazon Holborn, for a few weeks, where I helped manage the larger team, our suppliers, and was the point of contact for our client. It was only meant to be temporary, but I enjoyed the environment and the role so much that I stayed in London. Working closely with Angela and Pete taught me a lot, and in time I oversaw the day-to-day operation across all four Amazon sites in London.
While Pete and Angela were continuing to grow our client base in London, I returned to Milton Keynes for a little while to bring back what I learned in London—that is, until we were awarded the Plexal contract at Stratford Place, which I helped to open and run as a contract manager for a while.
The biggest opportunity for me was when we were awarded The Office Group’s Whitecollar Factory (now Fora), and it was an opportunity to show our new client who we are and what we do. I helped to mobilise and open this site and manage this building. It was a success, and soon we were awarded another six buildings with The Office Group.
We implemented what we learned at Whitecollar Factory, and through this success, we were awarded additional sites. In 2020 (just before COVID), we were awarded the contract to look after the whole portfolio and were managing approximately 45 buildings. As a contract manager, I was so proud that I was able to open and manage one building, which eventually grew into a large portfolio. I remained contract manager, but with a larger team under me supporting the contract.
In 2023, Sidekick was awarded an additional 17 Fora buildings, taking the portfolio to 60+ sites, now all under Fora, and I am fully dedicated to this client as Key Account Lead, focusing on our client happiness and ensuring that the contract runs smoothly and efficiently. I have a team of HK managers and HK leads under me, and alongside our OOH managers, we are providing the best possible service to our clients.
The reason I have been able to develop my skills and progress through the years is because I have been lucky enough to have Angela alongside me all the way; she has been an invaluable mentor throughout.