Five Minutes with: Lauren Diver, Operations Supervisor

In the fast-paced world of logistics, where every minute counts and each decision can make a significant impact, thriving in a dynamic environment is imperative – a skill that Lauren Diver, Operations Supervisor at Carousel, part of the DANX Carousel Group, possesses.

With nearly a decade of experience under her belt, Lauren’s had quite a long and interesting career at Carousel Logistics. However, logistics was not really on her radar when she was to choose a career path to begin with.

Read more about Lauren’s way into logistics, what being an Operations Supervisor entails, and why she finds the industry exciting and fulfilling.

The role in a nutshell

As an Operations Supervisor at Carousel’s Coventry hub, Lauren’s day starts with a thorough debrief of the previous night’s activities.

“As we predominantly run an in-night network, our clients are receiving freight ready for when they start their day,” she explains.

“So, we review pretty much the previous night’s activities, resolve any delivery issues we might have, and work closely with the client services team throughout the morning. And then we start receiving freight into the hub throughout the day that is offloaded, scanned, and ready for the outbound line haul that evening. Throughout the day we also liaise with our partner network, doing the final mile.” She elaborates.

Building meaningful relationships in the organisation and across borders

When asked about her favorite aspect of her job, Lauren emphasizes the opportunity to build different relationships across the organisation and borders.

“What I like the most is the relationships – not only with coworkers but also with different partners that work for us. Being in operations, you get to work with all roles within the business, from client services, to sales, solutions – all the way up to director level. And I think that is one of the most rewarding things – Having the ability to work so closely with each department in the business, as not all companies offer that.

Living the company values 

When asked what abilities are good to possess in order to thrive in the industry Lauren emphasizes passion, hard work and recognizing your colleagues. She elaborates further:

“Logistics is very fast-paced and lots of different departments are working together, ultimately for the same goal. Making sure we are taking ownership of everything and linking it back to our values, I think, is important. We all learn from each other every day and more importantly, we care for each other, for our clients and for all the people that are doing the final mile deliveries out on the ground”.

A stopgap that became a career path

Lauren’s journey into the logistics industry was not planned, but rather by chance. She explains:

“I was actually supporting a family friend’s logistics business and was doing general administration for them. That company was then acquired by Carousel, and that’s where my journey within Carousel began.”

With a degree in healthcare, Lauren initially considered logistics as a temporary stopgap, but fell in love with the industry’s dynamic nature and decided to stay and make it her career.

“Now I have been here for nine years. I believe people often think about logistics as a stopgap and that they won’t stay for long – but they often end up getting that love for it and staying which is very special.”

Investing in development 

Throughout her time at Carousel, Lauren has been supported in her professional development.

“At Carousel there’s a number of courses available to promote personal growth and development which are very helpful,” she explains.

“I have been very much supported by the company and have just recently enrolled in level 5 qualification in Supply Chain and Operations management which is a recognised qualification. It’s just great that the company is investing in training and development because it really does help long-term,” Lauren adds.

Why stay for nine years? 

Staying at the same company for nine years is a long time and you may wonder how that is possible. What has been crucial in Lauren’s decision to stay has both been the people she works with and the dynamic business landscape:

“The reason is definitely the team that I work with and that no two days are the same. Although the overarching structure is there, there’s always a curveball and you just have to make that quick decision that challenges you. I don’t want to sit in an office job where I do 9-5 and do the same thing every single day – that’s just not for me. To me, logistics is such a great industry to be in because it changes minute after minute, hour after hour.”

Does Lauren’s take on working in logistics resonate with you? Then have a look at our vacancies.