Name:
Lawrence Tanner
Current role:
Production Manager Expansion
Location:
Croydon
How long have you been working at Zotefoams:
13 years
Date joined:
06 July 2012
Career progression:
from Production Op to Production Manager Expansion
Background:
Lawrence joined Zotefoams when he was 19 after his dad (who also worked at Zotefoams) recommended he apply the job. At the time, he was working part-time at Iceland (supermarket) while studying plumbing at college, but when he got the Production Operator job at Zotefoams, it changed the course of his career. “My dad told me ‘This job is going to be tough – it’s very difficult, but just do whatever Pete McKenna, (Pete was my old team leader) tells you to do and you’ll be all right,’ he remembers. “As a teenager, I thought ‘If my dad can do it, so can I,’ but reality hit me fast.” His first shift was working 12 hours in HPs which left him completely exhausted as he had never done a job that physically demanding before. Three years later an opportunity to become a Team Manager came up and, although he had no management experience and his colleagues said, ‘You won’t get it’, he still applied. He was offered the role, which was later renamed Senior Operator. He worked hard and always put his team first: “My philosophy was simple,” he says. “We are only as strong as our weakest team member. I always led by example and I didn’t ask my team to do anything I wasn’t prepared to do myself.” His attitude and team focus paid off 9 years later, when he was seconded into a Shift Manager role in 2021 during COVID. Then in June 2023, he was promoted again to his current role Production Manager (Days).
What do you like about working at Zotefoams?
“I like working with my team. Every day is different, but the best part about my job is how I influence the team and the impact I have on them. For me, it’s important to work with the guys and get the best out of everyone. I’m a good leader and I motivate the team. We do have hard days, but you need that healthy challenge too. There’s just the right amount of pressure, I would say.”
What do you like to do when you are not working?
“I’m a family man. I have three children aged three, seven and 11 years and they take up most of my time. I also like to play football with my friends when I can.”
Tip for success at Zotefoams?
Fantasy career?
“An actor, or a footballer.”