Employee Spotlight
Meet Deb Wills
"I just want to use the opportunity I have now that I'm Site Director here to bring that vision and that passion to the rest of the team."
Site Director, Cheltenham Site
From running the workwear operation to leading the whole Cheltenham site, Deb Wills' career at CLEAN shows what happens when passion for the job meets a willingness to say yes to the next challenge.
The year Deb joined CLEAN as Workwear Operations Manager
Roles Deb has held on her journey to Site Director
Michelin stars held by The Fat Duck, where Deb's team delivered a seamless linen installation
The journey
A Journey of Growth Across Six Roles
Deb joined CLEAN in 2017 as Workwear Operations Manager at Cheltenham, the site that runs both workwear and SOL, our Special Occasion Linen division. She did not stay in one lane for long.
"When I joined CLEAN in 2017, I joined as the Operations Manager for workwear, and then within probably a few months, I was approached to be asked if I would do the whole factory, so Ops Manager for the Linen Division."
Then came Covid, and with it the toughest chapter of her CLEAN career. The linen side of the business at Cheltenham was disbanded. Rather than standing still, Deb moved into new territory, first as Customer Delivery Director, then into Project Management, before the opportunity to become Site Director arose.
"The company have always been very interested in what I can offer to the business, encouraging me to diversify between operation and commercial."
1
Workwear Operations Manager
2
Operations Manager
3
Covid Lockdown
4
Customer Delivery Director
5
Project Manager
6
Site Director
The people
Passionate People, One Team
Ask Deb what makes Cheltenham work and she does not talk about machinery. She talks about people, and about remembering who is at the end of every wash line.
"We've got some very passionate people in the business, so that makes a huge difference. We all work together as a team."
"The way I always look at it when I talk to the team here about it is that is a garment that somebody is going to wear. It's going to have a home at the end, and somebody's going to be expected to put that on."
PARTNERSHIP IN PRACTICE
Three Michelin Stars, One Seamless Installation
That same team spirit extends to customers. For Deb, the best projects are true partnerships, and one recent installation stands out.
"We always look to have a partnership with the customer. The most recent one was our installation at Heston Blumenthal's three Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck. I was quite proud of the fact that we all pulled together as a team to make it seamless."
