00:00:03 My name’s Heather Foo, and I'm a Key Account Manager for Charcon Hard Landscaping, which is part of Aggregate Industries.
00:00:12 Basically I look after major contractors, and it’s based nationally. So we’ve set up a Key Account team, because we realise that we need to put the work in to maximise on opportunities for those specific companies, and making sure that we’re visiting the right people, offering the support, and making them aware of who we are, and what we can offer as a whole.
00:01:30 Since I was at primary school I wanted to be a vet, because I love animals basically. I've had a horse from a very early age, and that was all I wanted to do through and through. So I went to Sixth Form to study A-Levels - Biology, Chemistry and Physics – realised a year into that that I couldn’t actually do it, I wasn't – I wasn't going to be able to pass it. So I changed and I did Business Studies – GNVQ Advanced Business Studies. It was a big disappointment when I actually found out that I wasn't going to be a vet, very big because, like I say, it was what I wanted to do from a very early age, from primary school really. So I was – I was gutted. I didn’t know, you know, which avenue to go down. There was – I was thinking fashion design, you know, I did Psychology shortly as well. Like I said, I did Business Studies in the end at Sixth Form, and I enjoyed sort of, you know, the business side. But yeah, it was – it was very difficult at the time, wondering what I'm going to do with my life basically.
00:02:38 A job came up in the paper as a Trainee Manager, that was all that it said. So I thought OK that, you know, might fit the bill. So I went for it, got the job, and it was actually selling Kirby Cleaners, don’t know if you've heard of Kirby Cleaners, which are vacuum cleaners basically. It was effectively going round peoples’ houses, and they would think that you were going there to clean their carpet, but then you could go into the sale of this vacuum cleaner. It was quite difficult because it’s – the type of sale that it was, was to almost embarrass them in a way, in that they had to have this to get all of the muck out of their house, which is obviously peoples’ pride and joy. Again it was meeting different people every day, which is what I enjoy, face to face, but yet it was very very challenging. And basically, if you didn’t sell one, you didn’t get paid. So there was a lot of pressure on yourself, and you would work from ten o’clock in the morning till – I was getting home at midnight most nights, because obviously it’s when people are at home. I did get chucked out of a house once, as well. The lady obviously didn’t want me in her house, so it wasn't very good, but yeah, a few stories.
00:03:10 I'm extremely happy where I am today, I'm quite proud of myself to say where I am, and as I say it’s in a male-dominated environment really. So to actually get out on the road was a big achievement for me, to get out of the office. Because the office is mainly a female environment really. So to actually get out on the road, where it was predominantly males, that was a big challenge for me. On a personal level, my daughter’s my everything basically. So that's a big achievement, and the biggest part of my life.
00:03:49 If I could do anything else in the world, money being no object, I would probably like a lovely farmhouse or something, have my own livery yard. I love cars and motorbikes as well, so I’d love to take my bike test, that would be fantastic, I’d love to be able to do that. I don’t know, go on track days, race days, something like that, but – in an ideal world.
ENDS
Heather Foo
Heather Foo
My name’s Heather Foo, and I'm a Key Account Manager for Charcon Hard Landscaping, which is part of Aggregate Industries.
Basically I look after major contractors, and it’s based nationally. So we’ve set up a Key Account team, because we realise that we need to put the work in to maximise on opportunities for those specific companies, and making sure that we’re visiting the right people, offering the support, and making them aware of who we are, and what we can offer as a whole.
Since I was at primary school I wanted to be a vet, because I love animals basically. I've had a horse from a very early age, and that was all I wanted to do through and through. So I went to Sixth Form to study A-Levels - Biology, Chemistry and Physics – realised a year into that that I couldn’t actually do it, I wasn't – I wasn't going to be able to pass it. So I changed and I did Business Studies – GNVQ Advanced Business Studies. It was a big disappointment when I actually found out that I wasn't going to be a vet, very big because, like I say, it was what I wanted to do from a very early age, from primary school really. So I was – I was gutted. I didn’t know, you know, which avenue to go down. There was – I was thinking fashion design, you know, I did Psychology shortly as well. Like I said, I did Business Studies in the end at Sixth Form, and I enjoyed sort of, you know, the business side. But yeah, it was – it was very difficult at the time, wondering what I'm going to do with my life basically.
A job came up in the paper as a Trainee Manager, that was all that it said. So I thought OK that, you know, might fit the bill. So I went for it, got the job, and it was actually selling Kirby Cleaners, don’t know if you've heard of Kirby Cleaners, which are vacuum cleaners basically. It was effectively going round peoples’ houses, and they would think that you were going there to clean their carpet, but then you could go into the sale of this vacuum cleaner. It was quite difficult because it’s – the type of sale that it was, was to almost embarrass them in a way, in that they had to have this to get all of the muck out of their house, which is obviously peoples’ pride and joy. Again it was meeting different people every day, which is what I enjoy, face to face, but yet it was very very challenging. And basically, if you didn’t sell one, you didn’t get paid. So there was a lot of pressure on yourself, and you would work from ten o’clock in the morning till – I was getting home at midnight most nights, because obviously it’s when people are at home. I did get chucked out of a house once, as well. The lady obviously didn’t want me in her house, so it wasn't very good, but yeah, a few stories.
I'm extremely happy where I am today, I'm quite proud of myself to say where I am, and as I say it’s in a male-dominated environment really. So to actually get out on the road was a big achievement for me, to get out of the office. Because the office is mainly a female environment really. So to actually get out on the road, where it was predominantly males, that was a big challenge for me. On a personal level, my daughter’s my everything basically. So that's a big achievement, and the biggest part of my life.
If I could do anything else in the world, money being no object, I would probably like a lovely farmhouse or something, have my own livery yard. I love cars and motorbikes as well, so I’d love to take my bike test, that would be fantastic, I’d love to be able to do that. I don’t know, go on track days, race days, something like that, but – in an ideal world.
ENDS
Heather Foo is a Key Account Manager at Aggregate Industries. She travels the country visiting important clients. She's proud of getting out of the office and onto the road, into a male-dominated environment.
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