Lindsay Linder, newly appointed Business Development and Marketing Manager at Hunts Coaches, discusses her new role working for a company with nearly 90 years of history
Q: Can you tell me about your background in the industry?
A: I started off more on the tourism side before I actually moved into transport.
I moved back to Lincolnshire and saw something that really appealed to me working for the local authority, North East Lincolnshire Council. I remained there for quite some time as a Transport Officer, managing the demand-responsive transport service ‘Phone ‘n’ ride’. Phone ‘n’ ride and the Transport and Highway team were one of the first councils that changed and shook things up. We transferred to what became ENGIE, and I remained there for nearly 10 years.
Latterly, I was a Project Manager, and I also chaired the regional northern group for the Total Transport project. Within that role, we were looking at how we could generate partnerships between providers and commissioners to see what we could do better, and looking more in depth with respect to developing community transport options and things like car share schemes. It was coming to the end of that project when I became aware of the position at Hunts, and it led to a natural progression. It’s a mix of where I started with my roots and my real love of transport.
Q: What drew you to the role at Hunts Coaches?
A: The rich heritage – it’s been going since the 1930s. It’s a family-run business, and I’ve worked for family-run businesses in the past. I think if you’re involved in that sort of thing you really enjoy it. Everybody knows everybody, and you get to know all your customers. It’s that communication side of things that I enjoy, it’s all about the people. Plus, the team were really encouraging. I took a little bit of convincing – I’d been at my last job for 10 years, so it was a big decision.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
A: Today I’ve been out on one of the buses with a coachload of people, doing a bit of mystery shopping. I’m going out on a tour today to see what everything is like and how our drivers are performing, but day-to-day I’m looking at business development, looking for contract work, looking for tendering opportunities, and making sure that our policies meet the needs of those requirements. It’s that varied. Every day you can learn something new and every day is interesting.
Q: How are you finding the role so far?
A: Some of the great highlights of the role so far have been meeting the people, not just the customers but the people I’m working with who are an absolute joy. We had a launch event on Thursday for the new brochure for 2018, and it was wonderful to see how people were using the services and what people were willing to put into it as well – we had drivers who just came in who weren’t working. Some of the team we’ve got are so committed and it really shone through.
Q: What do you hope to get out of the role?
A: I want to make Hunts Coaches a real success, it deserves to be. The underpinning thing is the people. I’d like to think that for many generations to come there will be something to hand down to the family, and I’ll have been part of that process. I see this in the long term – anything that I put in hopefully I’ll get back out. There’s no bigger accolade than good feedback.
Q: Who is someone in the industry that you admire?
A: My mentor in the industry, Martin Lear. He’s a fabulous chap and has worked within the local authority at North East Lincolnshire Council for I don’t even know how long. If you needed anything at all or if you needed guidance, he was there to give you it. Before he came to the local authority, he himself had a coach tour company, so he’s passed on a lot of knowledge to me over the years for which I’m truly thankful. Without his guidance, I don’t think I’d be as equipped as I am now to be able to undertake the role.
