This story starts with me and a Welsh girl from North Wales.

After 18 months in my first job, I left to go travelling and found myself in Australia, Sydney to be precise. Here, the other side of the world, I met my now wife, Gill, who happens to hail from Rhos-On-Sea, North Wales, roughly 40miles from Wrexham where I was born and raised!

Talk about a small world - never be surprised by the unexpected, harness those moments and make the best of them. Almost 20 years later, we have a beautiful daughter, Evie, and Gill still puts up with me.

I like to pride myself in being the same at work as I am at home, what you see is what you get.

One thing I have always tried to do is create an environment where people can be the best version of themselves, through support and challenge, whilst having fun along the way. The success of any business is down to its people and I believe all leaders must role model the behaviours they expect of their teams. We can do this by practising empathy and compassion through the tough times, as everyone will have challenges to face at some point, so we should be there to help our people through their journey, wherever and whatever that may be.

See the best in people, no matter how many times you may get your fingers burnt.

Through Covid-19 I have read some amazing stories about people going out of their way to help one another. For me these acts of kindness have more than likely always been there, but we have probably been too busy to truly recognise them. There is nothing like a pandemic to slow people down and allow them to see what is going on around them - the ultimate leveller.

I just hope that we will recognise these acts of kindness as the norm and not the extraordinary personally holding ourselves to a higher standard of humanity.

#bekind