Northern Insight meets TOM SHANKS & BEN BELL Finance Director (Tom) and Operations Director (Ben), from the Blueline Group.
What were your career ambitions growing up? Tom: Having watched my Dad run Blueline as Managing Director for as long as I can remember, I naturally took a deep interest in business from a young age and working in a similar capacity was something that I always set my sights on. Ben: Originally, I was on path to become a personal trainer and get involved with the fitness industry. However, this changed when I came back from Australia and started to work part-time at Blueline. The rest is history! Tell us about your current role? Tom: As Finance Director, my role is to provide the financial steer for the businesses, by optimising our financial performance and strategic position. I work closely with all the businesses that sit within the Blueline Group, and their subsequent management teams, understanding their commercial opportunities and challenges to plan financially for these. Ben: I’m not sure we have enough time for this! Essentially, as Operations Director, I oversee every operational aspect of the business, from the technology and systems, to office management and administration. In other words, ensuring the smooth day to day running of the business is core to me and my team. What is the most challenging aspect of your job? Tom: For me, one of the most challenging aspects of my role is multi-faceted nature of our Group and having the right financial models in place to manage each business accordingly. Also, balancing the father-son and Managing Direction-Finance Director relationship brings a unique challenge as those who work in family businesses may know! Ben: Knowledge and time. Transporting over 10 million passengers a year, 24/7 and for 365 days, means that our operation is always ticking and sometimes it feels as if there aren’t enough hours in a day to direct every aspect of what goes in to keeping the North East moving! What’s your biggest weakness and how have you managed this? Tom: I’m relatively young! At 26 years old, I’m still in the early stages of my career, and as for all young professionals, we lack some of the experience our longer-serving counterparts may have. I think it’s important for all young professionals to be able to lean-on more experienced professionals, whether that be colleagues or mentors, for advice and guidance and that’s certainly helped me in my role. Ben: I’m very self-sufficient, so I try and do everything myself! I’m conscious of this and I am trying more and more to delegate where possible – in order to ensure we are more efficient. As well, seeing my team develop and grow as they gain more experience and exposure is an added benefit. What are you currently working on? Tom: As Ben mentions below, it’s been allhands-on-deck here at Blueline throughout the pandemic, ensuring we continued to serve as an integral mobility service to keep key workers, and more recently the wider public. moving. More specifically for me, we’ve recently undergone a significant restructure within the Finance Department which has been challenging but rewarding at the same time, but most importantly, has us geared up for the future!
