Palletways UK has announced the strategic promotion of Vanda Roberts to head up the network’s commercial team. Having successfully turned two depots in Scotland into successful, profitable Palletways-owned operations, Vanda’s move to the position of Head of Commercial will support the network in its sales aspirations.

As the former Senior General Manager of Palletways Scotland, Vanda oversaw its operations in Livingston and Edinburgh and was responsible for health & safety, maintaining and developing the customer base and managing the depots’ P&L. In her new role, she’ll spearhead the growth of profitable volumes with Palletways’ network members. Along with identifying opportunities for growth in the UK, Irish and European markets, key responsibilities will include maintaining the strong relationships between Palletways’ Commercial Support Managers and Sales Managers as well as providing key support through regional sales meetings and workshops.

Commenting she says: “Palletways has been generous and supportive through my 20 years working in the Scottish region, allowing me to develop, grow and inspire others. Starting as a POD clerk, I’ve worked in traffic, haulage, customer service and accounts before moving up to depot manager and later, general manager. Its recent efforts in nominating me for the Customer Award in the Everywoman in Transport and Logistics, in which I was named as a finalist, demonstrates how much time and appreciation the company has for its employees.”

Rob Gittins, Managing Director at Palletways UK, added “Vanda was an excellent candidate for this role and she’s already made superb headway in the form of inspiring and driving Sales Managers across the network to consider new lines of opportunities. With her vast, proven experience as part of the Palletways business, we’re confident her leadership and strategic acumen will be pivotal in driving our commercial success and taking member sales to the next level."

Having a strong commercial focus has been key to Vanda’s success in running Palletways’ Scotland depots.  She concluded: “I have worked with a variety of customers across a range of sectors to grow their businesses with the Palletways proposition and I am honoured to take over the Head of Commercial role. I am excited to work closely with all our UK network members to grow their individual depots by helping them successfully identify and secure their opportunities.”