“It’s never too late to shape your future”

“No two days are the same. There’s also a lot of social value in working with the council to improve recycling rates and promote sustainability. We’ve just started doing school visits to teach children the importance of recycling, and they can pass on that information to their parents. The power of children to change things is something that needs to be tapped into.”

Russell has now been at Biffa for over six years, following a previous career in hotel management that equipped him with many transferable skills, especially around people management and getting the best out of your team. 

“It’s about them coming into work and enjoying the job on a day-to-day basis, and making sure that they’ve got a platform to air their views and influence things. If your staff are happy, everything works well.” 

Personable and available

Ensuring he has some one-to-one time with team members is a key part of Russell’s strategy. 

“I’ve seen the benefit you get from that. I had somebody come to me last week and tell me they were bored with what they were doing. I said, ‘Great. I’ve got loads for you to do.’ Thankfully, they were honest enough to say that, because when people aren’t fulfilled at work, you often don’t find out until they’ve gone out the door.”