Q: Tell me about your background in aviation and your previous operations roles?

A: My previous relevant experience was at Amazon as an Operations Manager. My focus was primarily on safety and efficiency of warehouse operations, as we continued to work to bring smiles to customers daily. Prior to that, I worked in the US Army as a Logistics Officer, serving in numerous logistics operations assignments ranging from Battalion Commander to Contract Manager. At one point, we provided support for repair parts to aviation rotary air units to keep the aviators flying. Overall, my broad background includes distribution, operations, supply and maintenance in a variety of settings, from ports to forward-operating bases deployed in support of combat operations.

Q: Tell me about your role at Farsound.

A: I joined Farsound in May 2022, so I am still quite new to the position. My first impressions have been overwhelmingly positive. The culture of this company is second to none. My role is an interesting and very exciting one! I am the VP of Operations for Farsound USA, which is very similar to my previous broad background of problem-solving in a variety of settings. My main task here at Farsound is to oversee the start-up of operations in the US and to work with the team here to develop the business and bring value to our customers. This work will start with overseeing our warehousing operations in our new facilities in Texas, and will expand from there.

Q: What is the best thing about working at Farsound?

A: The best thing about working at Farsound by far is the people. I love the friendly and positive environment that Farsound has created. Ours is a team that is full of diversity and innovation, with leaders that care about everyone in the company. It is also exciting to watch Farsound grow and expand into other markets and geographical locations. I believe that the US market has tremendous upside growth potential for us, and I am looking forward to leading the company into new and exciting opportunities within it.

Q: What does being VP of Operations involve?

A: So far, my work has focused on launching and overseeing a section of Farsound that previously did not exist. We are building it from the ground up, which is very rewarding. Initially, our focus is going to be on developing a warehouse that provides meaningful support to our current customers. After that, we will move on to ambitious plans to welcome new US customers as we grow and expand further into the market.

Q: How do you see Farsound growing in the US aviation market?

The US aviation market is quite large, so I think we have a lot of upside potential here. We already have one key primary customer and plans to grow from there. An important thing we have going for us is that we understand all of the engine types that customers can have in place, so we can look after them really well and develop long-term solutions for them. We understand our customers’ requirements for the engine parts that support specific engines, for example regional airlines that may have smaller engines needing bespoke parts

Q: How is the development of the new Farsound facility in Texas going?

A: It’s going well. We are working hard on getting the final stages of the warehouse construction completed and ready to fully support our existing US customer base. We can then streamline operations within the warehouse to get us to a place where we can provide customer support seamlessly and be ready to take on more and more work. The eventual aim is to enjoy more independence from Farsound’s UK base, as initially, all the parts for our US customers will need to be processed via the warehouse in the UK.  Once established, our focus will continue to be on further business development and expansion of our customer base in the US.

Q: How has the new high-tech UK HQ assisted with operations?

A: From the pictures and videos that I have seen, the UK HQ is absolutely outstanding and state-of-the-art – really impressive. Even though the UK HQ is half way around the world from us, they have provided support to every facet of this start-up for Farsound USA and we hugely appreciate their help. There is never a point when we feel disconnected from other parts of the company, as we can connect directly into the UK HQ at any point, and they are very friendly and supportive.

Q: How are you using your previous experience, coupled with the latest technology available to you, to help plan warehouse operations?

A: My experience at Amazon is very similar to what we will be doing in our new warehouse, in that as packages come in, we store them and prep them for shipment to go out the other side of the warehouse. In the army, I managed the supply support activity, which was basically the same as a warehouse. We had parts stored in bins that had to be picked and shipped very quickly. In some cases, we might have had a four-hour lead time or even shorter, especially for deployed and combat operations.

Added to that, having access to all kinds of new technology is really helping our operations in terms of making our processes more streamlined and efficient. It is critical to bringing speed, accuracy and added value to the customers we support all over the world. Anything we can do to reduce lead times for customers will help us deliver a top-quality service, all over the world.