Grow With Kloeckner – Rob Brien’s Inspirational Journey

Rob Brien joined the team at Kloeckner back in 1995. He was a warehouse operative then, but he knew he wanted to achieve more. He was always ambitious, keen on learning, and the first to embrace new challenges. After all, as Albert Einstein said, ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.’ This is why he took every opportunity presented to him at Kloeckner to improve his life and career, and it all paid off. Today he is UK Operations Director.

In this post, Rob talks about his journey at Kloeckner, the different opportunities he took advantage of along the way, and how it all led him to where he is today.

‘I joined the business in 1995 as a warehouse operative at the London site. I enjoyed the work and the people around me. I saw that there was a major opportunity to grow within the company, so I decided to learn as much as possible. Within the first year, I was able to operate all the equipment, which led to me being promoted to shift foreman.

‘From there, I decided to take advantage of all the learning and training opportunities provided at the company. I joined numerous front-line training courses and became an instructor in all on-site operations equipment. Training and developing people became a passion of mine and the business offered me the opportunity to complete a City and Guilds in education and training. Alongside that, I also completed a Level 5 NVQ in Leadership and Management.

‘The early 2000s was a significant period for my career. I was promoted to Warehouse Manager and, shortly after, promoted again to Operations Manager. During this time, I worked in Production, Transport, Admin, and Sales.

‘In 2017 I was chosen to attend Kloeckner’s global Emerging Leaders Programme, which changed my outlook and focus; as leadership programmes go, it was second to none. Very soon after, I applied for the position of General Manager of the Leeds business, 200 miles from where I lived. Kloeckner was fantastic and fully supported my move. Just two years after I’d taken that role, CEO Peter Whiting invited me to join his senior leadership team as Head of Operations and Logistics for the UK. It’s a role that has changed recently, acquiring further responsibility and leading to a director’s position. Throughout my time with the business, my line managers have always inspired me to keep developing myself. Even today, I’m back at university studying for an MBA.

‘I’m so grateful for everything Kloeckner and the people at Kloeckner have done for me during my 27 years with the company. People development is at the heart of this business, and I will do all I can to ensure that it continues in the future.’

Learn about the open positions at Kloeckner Metals UK here.