Kelly Group is delighted to introduce Mark Hawes (Systems Engineer / IT), who joined the business 17 years ago.
How long have you been working for the Kelly Group?
I joined Kelly Group in January 2006, at the time the department consisted of Hugo and myself only working out of the old office at Harrow, London.
What positions have you held throughout your tenure?
I joined as a Systems Engineer 17 years ago and was responsible for fixing any hardware within the business. Officially my role is still the same however, as IT evolved over the past 17 years so did my knowledge, role and the department therefore my role feel completely different to what it was when I joined. I didn’t have any qualifications back in the day, and I will forever be grateful for Hugo who gave me the opportunity to learn and evolve with the role since day 1.
What does a typical week look like?
You never know what challenges will occur each week. I am fortunate enough to travel between multiple offices and depots where they don’t have IT support available on site. My responsibilities include providing IT support for these offices, deliver any hardware and set it up for individuals and repairing hardware where possible. What makes this job extremely enjoyable is the process of discovering solutions when I come across challenges that I haven’t worked on before. Another thing I love about our department is that we are such a close net, and if we’re ever in doubt of anything we have a diverse team from different IT background, and everyone is happy to provide guidance and help to support us.
Do you have any set goals in mind for the next 12 months?
On a personal note, I’m proud to have a YouTube channel dedicated to Elvis’s songs called Elvis Mixer. I extend and remix his original songs and I also got into mono stereo conversations. I currently have 2410+ subscribers and I am only 20,000 short of 1 million views. I never thought my channel would do exceptionally, but I recently received an email from YouTube congratulating on reaching every country in the world with my videos. So, my goal for the next 12 months is to continue my work with Elvis records and continue growing my channel.
What three words best describe your role?
- Passion
- Loyalty
- Evolving
Before working for Kelly Group, what was the most unusual or interesting job you have ever had?
Before joining Kelly Group, the most interesting job I had was working for Kodak in a graphic arts role which was a role at the time describing the work of processing film in dark room conditions. These were bigger film in size to the usual home film people brought in, we were supplying large print for Daily Mirror, Daily Mail and billboards.
If you could switch your job with anyone else for one week, whose job would you want to experience?
I have a passion for what I’m doing so if I would have the opportunity, I probably wouldn’t take it. If I need to pick a role, I would like to experience Nelish’s or John’s role from IT as their roles are more software based and cyber security.
What advice do you have for new Kelly Group employees coming into the business?
Embrace and enjoy your role. There are plenty of opportunities to discover within the business. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing and willing to go the extra mile there are always people around to support you and they appreciate your hard work.
Can you tell us what support channels are available for our drivers within the business?
From the IT perspective, we’re always here to support the workforce with any queries. We’re a very approachable team and always willing to help. If you have any questions or issues, please feel free to reach out on our direct email address.
What 3 words would your friends/family use to describe you?
- Creative
- Loyal
- Passionate
What is your proudest moment?
My proudest moment is having my two daughters.
Another proud moment is my YouTube channel reaching worldwide status.
