Elliot General Manager - Asda Logistics Services

I completed the first two years of the Asda Graduate scheme as part of my university placement, completing the final year after graduating. Throughout my career at Asda there has always been the opportunity to progress, develop and try new things. My first placement was as a Department Manager in one of our clothing DC’s and between then and my current role of General Manager of an Ambient DC, I have had the opportunity to work in multiple different roles across the ASDA logistics network and the central teams.

Working in many different teams and roles within the business has given me a strong operational knowledge from different perspectives. It has allowed me to learn from many different leaders with different styles that have helped shape my own Leadership DNA and develop into the General Manager I am today. What is great about Asda is the culture and teamwork across ALS function, the variation of roles allowed me to build relationships across the network and pick up the phone when I need support.

Asda has a great culture and there are plenty of opportunities to grow your career within Asda, this is what attracted me. I wanted to join a business that gave me leadership opportunities at an early age. As with most people when I set out at the start of my career I didn’t know where I wanted to end up, initially I wanted a head office job living and working in a big city centre, which I have had the opportunity to do in my career with Asda. However as soon as I began working operationally within Logistics I was hooked on the fast paced, challenging environment of operations and it gave me the platform to lead people, which is what I enjoy most.

It’s ok not to know where you want to be when you start out on your journey, you will find that out as you go. Joining a big company like Asda gives you the opportunity to try different roles and work out what you enjoy doing and enjoying what you do is important! There are lots of great leaders within Asda with different styles, take on as much as you can from the leaders around you, take what you like and adapt it into your own leadership style, but always be true to yourself. Choose a company with a good culture that is supportive, your progression is rarely linear and there will be ups and downs, having the right support around you is so important at the early stages of your career.