MVIS Staff Spread Festive Cheer at Ashgate Hospice

Members of our team recently headed over to Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield to spread some Festive cheer, by serving some of the unsung heroes who give up their time and support to ensure that the hospice is a friendly and welcoming environment all year round.

The hospice is a local charity that provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to patients with a life-limiting illness and their families across North Derbyshire. Ashgate Hospice is not an NHS hospice and all the care that it provides is free of charge. In order to continue providing care when people need it most, Ashgate relies heavily on fundraising and community support from local businesses like us.

The team were on hand throughout the day to serve hot drinks including festive hot chocolate and non-alcoholic mulled punch along with a selection of Christmassy sweet treats of mince pies and chocolate Yule log. All home-made by the generous staff at our MVIS head office. Guests, patients, staff and volunteers were also able to take time out of their day and enjoy the Christmas classic ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ shown on the big screen as the Day Hospice was transformed in to a cinema room especially for the event. MVIS work throughout the year on various projects, finding new and exciting ways to raise funds for Ashgate Hospice including charity walks and a 10 week long, in-house Bake-Off competition where all bakes are sold with all profits going straight to the charity.

Jon Larkin – MVIS North Delivery Supervisor: “It’s always important to give something back to the local community. Whether that be time or support in other ways. It’s a pleasure to come to the Hospice and see the amazing work that takes place every single day and the wonderful people that make it all possible. The hospice is a vital part of the local community, many of us know people who have benefitted from the incredible work Ashgate do and to support such an amazing cause right on your doorstep gives us all immense pride”.

David Storer- Ashgate Hospice Events Organiser: “A massive thank you to you guys for coming over and providing all that stuff, as well as providing the cinema set up. The hot chocolates went down a storm with staff from across the hospice. Can I also just say thank you from all of us here for everything else you do for us throughout the year. From Bake-Off sales to the VMS you provide for us, it is all very much appreciated and the GIK, money you raise, and sponsorship of next years High Peak Trail, really does make a huge difference”.

To find out more about Ashgate Hospice and how you can make a difference this Christmas, just click the link: shorturl.at/EGSU8


The Great MVIS Bake Off Begins

This year we’re back with another charity baking competition, The Great MVIS Bake Off. Inspired by the TV show, this year the competition is being stepped up a few gears, with more rounds, more people and a different theme each week. 

Last year’s Bake Off competition went down a treat with the team as it was the first time in a long time that everyone could come together. In the 5 man finale, Pip and Tim narrowly beat out the rest and were crowned winners. Will Tim be looking to win again this year? 

This year’s competition will last for 11 weeks instead of 5, starting today on the 17th of October and finishing with a final on the 21st of December. There are 12 members of the MVIS and Bartco UK team taking part, and they will be split into groups of 3, with 2 people from each group advancing into the next round. The team can buy a slice of their favourite bakes for £1, with all of the money raised going to Ashgate Hospice

The schedule is as follows: 

To kick things off in Week 1, Ben, Chris and Juliette each baked and brought in a delicious cake of their choice. In contention was Ben with his Lotus Biscoff cake, Juliette with her chocolate cream cake and Chris with his Halloween-themed chocolate tray cake. 

A slice from each cake was cut up into small pieces and tasted by the entire team, who then had to write down their favourite on a piece of paper to vote.

After carefully counting up the votes, the winners of The Great MVIS Bake Off Week 1 were…Ben with his Lotus Biscoff cake and Juliette with her chocolate cream cake! Ben’s Lotus Biscoff cake went down particularly well with the team, which earned him an incredible 8 votes. 

Stay tuned for Week 2 where Ben K, Alex and Tim will be baking some brilliant biscuits! Ben and Juliette will be advancing into the second round, with Ben baking again in Week 5, Spice Week and Juliette in Week 6, Botanical Week. 

Make sure to follow and keep tabs on our Instagram account so you don’t miss a bake. 


Supporting World Mental Health Day 2022

Here at MVIS and Bartco UK, we take mental health very seriously. As a socially responsible employer, we feel it is important to focus on mental health every day and not just today. Working in an industry that suffers from high suicide rates, it is of vital importance that we stay one step ahead when it comes to mental health.

In the UK, suicide claims an alarming number of lives each year, with many of those in the Highways and Construction industries. As safety is one of the core foundations at MVIS in addition to mental health, there is no denying the obligation we have in raising awareness of this to help make the industry safer for everyone. 

Last year for World Mental Health Day, we supported YoungMinds, the mental health charity for young people and participated in their #HellowYellow campaign by donating money and wearing a hi-vis or yellow clothing. 

In support of World Mental Health Day this year, we got all our staff together for some cake and a chat to help encourage the conversation around mental health. The theme for this year is to make mental health and wellbeing a priority, which is something that we have been working to achieve for many years now. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the years, we have taken a number of steps to safeguard the wellbeing and mental health of our team. One of the things we’ve done to support our team is giving them access to 3 qualified mental health first aiders, 2 female and 1 male. Our mental health first aiders are Rebecca Prince, Bartco UK’s Purchasing & Stock Control Supervisor, Jon Larkins, our North Delivery Supervisor and the UK Group Commercial and Operations Director for both MVIS and Bartco UK, Anne Ashman

One of our more recent developments is providing our team with access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), an anonymous advice and support service offered by Peninsula. If you feel that you may need advice or support on your mental health, some helpful links will be included below. 

Anne Ashman, UK Group Commercial and Operations Director comments, “The mental health of our team is one of our top priorities and today was a great opportunity for them to have a break and spend some time together. Here at MVIS and Bartco UK, we have been working with our staff for a long time now on ways we can best safeguard their mental health and wellbeing, which has helped us build the support system we have in place today.”


Get help and support: 


Proud to be Supporting Pride & Inclusivity

Promoting an open, inclusive and fair company culture is extremely important to us here at MVIS. That’s why we’re proud to have supported and supplied several units free of charge for this year’s Belper Pride, which took place on Saturday 6th August. Supplying and deploying our VMS helped provide messaging of road closures and other important information to enable the event to run safely and smoothly. 

Around 11,000 people are said to have attended Belper Pride, a number which has doubled in size in the past two years. The first Belper Pride was only in 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the following two years sadly had to be held online. 

We also had a member of the MVIS team, Clair Tranter who works in Customer Relations, volunteer for this year’s Belper Pride to help with the running of it and make it a great event after a 3 year wait. Several of our other staff have also volunteered for other causes in the past, such as local charities that we support like Ashgate Hospice. As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility, we take pride in our community outreach efforts, which have regularly seen us offer our products, time and financial support to a range of community causes that are close to our hearts. 

Clair is proudly part of the LGBTQ+ community and is our FIR Ambassador here at MVIS. FIR Ambassadors aim to promote a culture of Fairness, Inclusion and Respect within the organisation where they work in. They are expected to embody the principles of FIR: work collaboratively, whilst stepping in to take action, challenge behaviours and positively impact workplace culture. Having an FIR Ambassador as part of our team further shows our commitment to an open and inclusive workplace. 

That same weekend, we also supplied and installed a number of our VMS-As and VMS-Cs for Brighton Pride. Firmly established as the UK’s most popular international Pride Festival, Brighton Pride attracts a diverse audience of around 1,000,000 people from across the globe. Due to the size of the event and the fact it’s spread out over a city, the MVIS team had to work around the clock in order for all the units to be set up on time. 

Brighton Pride’s ethos is to promote tolerance, diversity and inclusion which perfectly aligns with our morals as a company. We’re extremely proud to have worked with them for this year’s Pride celebrations in order to progress towards the goal of eliminating all forms of discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities. 


Celebrating 10 Years of Graeme Lee

This week we’re celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Graeme Lee, our Sales Director. Graeme is now the second member of the MVIS team to reach a 10 year tenure after Anne Ashman celebrated her 10 year anniversary last year

Graeme joined MVIS in 2012 having already worked in the highways industry in sales. His existing knowledge and experience quickly saw him forming relationships with clients that have continued to develop over the last 10 years. Graeme’s loyalty and dedication to the company has led him to become our Sales Director, where he oversees the Sales department with Customer Relations Officer, Juliette Wright

Highly skilled in sales, networking and maintaining relationships, Graeme is well respected within the industry and is often seen as the face of MVIS to clients and customers. During his time at MVIS, Graeme has amassed a number of career achievements that have formed a crucial part of our success and growth. 

With years of vital experience in producing high-value tender submissions and working with high-profile customers from many different industries, Graeme has become an incredibly valued member of the team and a crucial component of our operations. 

Anne Ashman, UK Group Operations and Commerical Director comments, “We are all very pleased to be celebrating Graeme’s 10 year work anniversary this week. It’s been a pleasure working with Graeme over the last ten years. Graeme’s commitment and loyalty to the company is greatly appreciated and we are extremely lucky to have him as part of our team. Everyone at MVIS and Bartco UK thanks Graeme for his service and we look forward to many more years of him working with us.” 

Graeme Lee comments, “I am very proud to have reached a 10 year milestone here at MVIS. I started working in this industry over 15 years ago when it was the early days for portable VMS in the UK. In the time that I’ve been here, the industry has changed substantially but the “can do” mentality at MVIS has not changed. Every member of staff is crucial, and they are all prepared to go the extra mile.” 


What Does Platinum Level Service Mean to You?

Over the last 12 years, MVIS has built an outstanding reputation across the highways sector for providing excellent service to its customers on all projects. 

No matter the size or customer, MVIS adopts the ‘no task is too small’ approach on its mission to deliver a level of service it can only define as ‘platinum’.

MVIS has always valued its customers and has built some excellent long-standing relationships on the back of its commitment to service as well as its products. To showcase this commitment, MVIS proudly launched its ‘Platinum Service Promise’ campaign back in  2021. A promise they have kept to this very day. 

The MVIS Platinum service promise delivers:

‘Platinum Level Service for Bronze Level Prices’

The MVIS quality & service document serves to outline what the company considers to be ‘Platinum Level Service’ and also highlights just how special its services are.

 

MVIS has always held fantastic relationships with its clients, and the company regularly receives positive feedback and comments crediting it for one of the aspects listed in the quality & service document.

Each time a customer approaches MVIS with enthusiastic comments about its service, MVIS see this not just as an opportunity to celebrate its collective achievement, but also to reinforce this standard of service within the team. Reinforcing standards in moments of praise makes gives it special emphasis and reinforces a message from a positive position rather than trying to react to a negative one. This aids with staff feeling appreciated, delivers job satisfaction and rewards their hard work.

We spoke to a number of MVIS employees about their view on what platinum service is, and how it fits into their own specific roles.

We asked, “What does Platinum Level Service mean to you?”

 

Anne Ashman – Group Commercial and Operations Director said:

“The Platinum Service Promise is a symbol of our commitment to service and customers. We have thought long and hard about a way we can demonstrate this, culminating in this promise to clients to always give them our very best. We are incredibly proud of our service record and the positive comments we receive from our customers.”

Anne continued: 

“With that said, it’s vital that we never lose sight of the importance of continuous improvement. Our Platinum Service Promise works in conjunction with our customer’s comments and internal audits to keep us on our toes, make us accountable and give us an opportunity to work on areas that may need another look. Having this trusting relationship with our customers allows us to consistently cater to their needs so we don’t miss anything as their needs evolve.”

Jon Larkins, Delivery Supervisor for the North added:

“We know the moment we leave HQ that we are representing MVIS – and therefore carry an expected standard with us. That standard being platinum. Whether it’s the quality of our maintenance work, right through to how we interact with other contractors on site or the passing public – nothing short of outstanding will do.”

With Anne and Jon both well established as part of the MVIS team, serving 10 and 5 years respectively, what’s expected is ingrained in their day-to-day operations.

For a perspective from those not so experienced, a more newcomer perspective is offered by Clair Tranter and Mia Maycock, both in MVIS’ Customer Relations team. Both recent recruits, Clair and Mia explained to us how the bar was set upon joining the company, and what platinum service means to them.

Clair told us:

“I was left in no doubt throughout the recruitment process with MVIS that ‘client centric’ is absolutely the ethos here. Our customers and the service we provide them comes above all. We do what we can, every day to assist their operations and provide something that’s unrivalled when it comes to service.”

April added:

“It was actually one of the main reasons that the role appealed to me. Working in customer relations, there has to be a passion for service, so coming into a company that places customer satisfaction above all was a great fit. It’s very clear to me how MVIS has garnered such a strong reputation when it comes to its levels of service, as everyone in the business knows it’s priority number one. Now I’m looking forward to playing my part in delivering that platinum promise myself.”


New Marketing Manager Welcomed by MVIS

As a small team, it is always sad when a member of staff departs but with a new employee comes new skills and fresh ideas. Last week, we celebrated our 10th anniversary and also a new face in our in-house Marketing Department.

We’re delighted to announce that Ben Kettell has joined us as our new Marketing Manager. Ben is an experienced marketeer and Marketing Manager in addition to having expert skills in graphic design. He will be working alongside Alex Handley, our Marketing Executive who has recently been promoted from Marketing Assistant and Ben Ashman, our Data Assistant. Together, they will continue to grow and improve our marketing channels. 

Prior to working in the hospitality industry as Marketing Manager for two of Derby’s most established businesses, Ben has worked in marketing for a number of respectable B2B and B2C companies in the travel and retail industry. 

Ben is now in his second week at MVIS and is starting to get to grips with an exciting new industry and our wide range of products and solutions. Outside of work, Ben is a passionate Derby County supporter and regularly attends home and away matches. 

Ben Kettell comments, “I am delighted to join the MVIS team. Their enthusiasm for their work and expertise is unrivalled I can’t wait to get stuck in. I look forward to sharing ideas and working with the entire workforce to grow MVIS in new and exciting sectors along with building on the strong foundations already in place.”  

Anne Ashman, UK Group Commercial and Operations Director comments, “Ben really impressed us in the interview process and I have no doubt that he will be a great addition to our Marketing Department and the MVIS team. He brings with him a solid set of marketing and creative skills that will help to expand and improve our current marketing infrastructure.” 


Meet our FIR Ambassador

The Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme is an industry-wide initiative that aims to make the workplace better for everyone. 

FIR Ambassadors promote a culture of Fairness, Inclusion and Respect within the organisation where they work in. They are expected to embody the principles of FIR: work collaboratively, whilst stepping in to take action, challenge behaviours and positively impact workplace culture.

We are delighted to announce that Clair Tranter, who works in Customer Relations, has become our FIR Ambassador for Construction. Clair is proudly part of the LGBTQ+ community and will help to drive the FIR message throughout the MVIS and Bartco UK team. With Pride Month just ending and many more Pride events to come this summer, there’s no better time to celebrate fairness, inclusion and respect in the workplace. 

As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), promoting an open, inclusive and friendly company culture is extremely important to us and having an FIR Ambassador on board further shows our commitment to this. We take pride in the training, treatment and support of our staff and see this as a step further to supporting them even more. 

Clair Tranter comments, “I am extremely proud to become an FIR Ambassador for MVIS Ltd. I am part of the LGBTQ+ community but I feel there are always new things to learn. I only recently learnt about all the different types of flags you would see at a Pride event. I look forward to working with the rest of the team to make sure that everyone is continued to be treated fairly and with respect.” 

Anne Ashman comments, “It’s great to have an FIR Ambassador as part of our team. I want everyone to feel safe and supported in order for them to reach their maximum potential.”


Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

We know that mental health has been one of the biggest causes of death in the construction and highways industries for many years now. In 2020, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) published a report that showed 26% of respondents had considered taking their own lives in the previous year. The report also showed that high percentages of respondents suffered with issues such as depression, stress, anxiety and fatigue.

Following the pandemic and the far-reaching consequences of multiple lockdowns in the UK, we are also now facing a cost-of-living crisis that is impacting everyone in one way or another.

As an employer, we are required now more than ever to turn our attention to mental health. For MVIS and Bartco UK, mental health has always been of high importance. We have taken a number of steps over the years to safeguard the wellbeing and mental health of our team. Working in an industry that suffers with high suicide rates, it is of vital importance that we stay one step ahead when it comes to mental health.

One of the more recent developments we have introduced was the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), an anonymous advice and support service offered by Peninsula.

Peninsula’s EAP service offers our team a well-rounded approach to good mental health and wellbeing. The EAP helps our team overcome their toughest life challenges and deliver their best every day. It includes 24/7 telephone advice, face-to-face counselling and a suite of online and mobile tools to help staff stay happy and healthy.

According to Peninsula, an EAP can “reduce mental health related absence levels by as much as 45% and improve productivity by as much as 8%.” But more importantly, “it helps protect your staff.”

We also offer staff access to 3 qualified mental health first aiders, 2 female and 1 male. Our mental health first aiders are Rebecca Prince Bartco UK’s Purchasing & Stock Control Supervisor, Jon Larkins, North Delivery Supervisor the UK Group Commercial and Operations Director for both MVIS and Bartco UK, Anne Ashman.

This diverse offering allows our team to pick the mental health first aider they feel most comfortable speaking with, meaning that they are more likely to talk openly and honestly about their concerns.

Anne comments, “The mental health of our team is one of our top priorities. In recent years, mental health has started to become a hot topic for businesses as everyone starts to realise how important it is. Here at MVIS and Bartco UK, we have been working with our staff for a long time now on ways we can best safeguard their well-being and mental health, equipping us with the solid support system we have in place today.”

Anne continues, “But just because we have a good support system in place, it doesn’t mean the job is done. Our focus on mental health remains a priority for us, as we continue to overcome new challenges to mental health that may arise. Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 is the perfect opportunity to lead by example and showcase the measures we have taken for our team.”


Improving Our Team with Cross-Departmental Training

Over the years, MVIS has championed the importance of ensuring not just a well-trained team, but also a team that understands each other. Every job is different, requiring different skills and perspectives to be done correctly, so in order to enable our team to understand what their colleague’s day to day jobs entail, we operate a cross-departmental training scheme that gives team members experience working with their colleagues in other departments.

We have already seen the positive impact this can make amongst customers, but this strategy is ideal for improving a number of aspects, not just our overall customer service.


Safety

Training our team up with the knowledge and understanding of what their colleagues are required to do, it allows us to better safeguard each other. A great example of this is the relationship between our customer relations team and our delivery technicians.

Cross-departmental training sessions are essential for these departments as it allows the customer relations team to have a good grasp of the dangers our delivery technicians are exposed to. With this, the operations team are better equipped with knowledge and experience to manage certain situations. 

Back in February 2022, Sean Gardner, who oversees the Customer Relations department, went out on deliveries with our North Delivery Supervisor, Jon Larkins so that he could get a better understanding of the work and risks involved in deploying our units, putting this approach in action. 


Efficiency

Efficiency is a very important factor in how we operate as a company, which is one of the reasons that we’re the UK’s most trusted supplier of VMS and have the industry’s best-trained workforce. We don’t just focus on efficiency in terms of our fuel and energy usage, we want all of our team members to be working together as efficiently as possible, helped by cross-departmental training. 

For example, our Marketing Assistant, Alex Handley, spent a day alongside our Sales and Customer Relations Administrator, Juliette Wright. Juliette has a very important role within the sales team, which makes her a perfect member of staff for Alex to learn about this side of the business from. 

The relationship between sales and marketing is critical, both supporting each other in shared goals. If the marketing team better understands the processes that drive the sales team, it allows them to be more proactive in their support, increasing efficiency. 


Staff Morale

Whilst it’s great to see safety and efficiency advantages from cross-departmental training, one of the biggest aspects that it improves is staff morale. When other team members understand the challenges involved in a role or a task, it is highly likely to encourage everyone be more empathetic, patient and helpful.  

It also helps staff understand the business better, potentially improving job satisfaction and their understanding of how their role fits into wider business operations. 

To continue Alex’s cross-departmental training, in late March 2022, he also took a journey out with Jon to deliver some of our signs. In doing this, Alex has been able to see parts of the business that he wouldn’t necessarily be exposed to much from his role in the marketing office, giving him insight into what his hard work is contributing towards. 

In the same way, such training can also improve social well-being at work too. In spending this time with Jon, Alex was able to get to know him and other members of the delivery team, which he wouldn’t have had much chance to do otherwise due to the difference in job roles. 


Alex commented, “I learned a lot from my time working with Juliette and Jon. Both training sessions not only helped me build a rapport with colleagues in a different department, but it was also good to see how the work I do impacts them. Understanding the difficulties they face in their roles equips me better to be able to support them and it also helps me appreciate their level of expertise. It was really impressive seeing what our team can achieve.” 

Alex continued, “It has also been great to see our products in action. Working in the marketing department, I am required to have an excellent product knowledge. Training in other departments has been a great way to learn about our technology so I can help market it to the right audience.”

Anne Ashman,  UK Group Commercial and Operations Director added, “We have been committed to cross-departmental training for a number of years now and it only becomes more apparent how helpful it is as time goes on. Both MVIS and Bartco UK have always been strongly in favour of training and continuous development, so cross-departmental training is a natural progression for us as we strive to offer our customers the best service in the industry.” 

 


Turning to Mental Health

MVIS and Bartco UK have always taken mental health very seriously. Poor mental health is one of the biggest causes of death in the construction and highways industries and in 2020, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) published a report that showed 26% of respondents had considered taking their own lives in the previous year. The report also showed that high percentages of respondents suffered with issues such as depression, stress, anxiety and fatigue.

National statistics shed more light on the issue. From around the 5000 suicides in the UK every year related to mental health issues, males account for three-quarters of the total figure, making this the biggest killer of men up to the age of 49 in the UK.

But this is not a new problem for the industry or indeed for wider society.

For many years now, MVIS and Bartco UK have placed mental health as a major priority, working on developing our team to ensure that everyone is ALGEE trained, that everyone has access to a mental health first aider and one of our more recent developments is providing our team with access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), an anonymous advice and support service offered by Peninsula.

Amongst our mental health first aiders has traditionally been Bartco UK’s Purchasing & Stock Control Supervisor, Rebecca Prince and the UK Group Commercial and Operations Director for both MVIS and Bartco UK, Anne Ashman.

However, we are now proud to announce that Jon Larkins, North Delivery Supervisor has been qualified as the group’s first male mental health first aider. Jon is an ideal member of the team to take on this responsibility, working for MVIS and closely with the Bartco UK team, he will be able to offer his support to everyone who works for the group in addition to the comfort he can bring to male team members who may feel more comfortable discussing mental health issues with another male. 

Jon comments, “It’s great to be able to lend a helping hand with my training.  Mental health awareness has never been so widespread but there’s still a lot of work to be done both within business and as a society. It’s so vital that we all take mental health seriously.”

Anne adds, “Jon is a great addition to the mental health first aider team. He is well liked within the group and is naturally a very good listener. His training in mental first aid will only channel this and put his compassionate nature to fantastic use.”


Meet the Experts

No organisation can run on its own and a business is only as good as its people. MVIS takes a huge amount of pride in our team members and strongly encourage all team members to take every opportunity for training and development. As a result, and in conjunction with our recruitment practices, we boast one of the best trained and highest skilled workforces in the industry.

Today, we are going to shine a spotlight on the experts in our organisation, taking a look at the foundations of what makes us the most trusted ITS supplier in the industry. 


Tom Hooton – Research & Development Manager – Bartco UK

As manager of Research & Development for Bartco UK, in many ways, Tom is where it all starts. MVIS and Bartco UK are known for bringing new products and solutions to market that can go on to change the whole industry. Working as Technical Supervisor until 2021, Tom has had a hand in helping to develop most of these solutions, including developing a few of his own already during his time in the role.

New products to us such as the CCTV VMS integration and the Compact Portable CCTV owe their development to Tom, as well as many other products that are currently being worked on – the Bartco UK R&D department has never been more productive.

The scope that the products Tom has worked on and is currently working on is limitless. Often tasked with bringing requested solutions to life for high profile clients, Tom has a keen ability to deploy the best technology in the best way to deliver the customer’s vision.

Now working alongside newly appointed Research & Development Assistant, Mizzy Watson, Tom will be training Mizzy as well as taking on new perspectives from her as someone who previously worked with customers in the Customer Relations department.


Mark Ashbee – London Depot Manager – MVIS

Mark has worked with us since 2015, proving himself on countless occasions to uphold and embody the values of service and quality that MVIS prioritise. Mark’s fantastic attitude exemplifies the approach we take with our customers, making his promotion to London Depot Manager in 2021 a logical appointment.

His role as London Depot Manager entails ensuring the smooth running of one of our key depots in the south of the UK, and with Delivery Technician, Jay Bailey, they together service works based down south, allowing us to deploy units quickly for important projects especially in the London area.

Mark is often required to manage ‘out of the ordinary’ deliveries that drivers based in other locations in the UK may not face so regularly. Servicing the London area usually requires a different approach to the rest of the UK, having to work around the heavy traffic, public transport, lack of parking, congestion charges, cyclists and other large city challenges that London is well known for. In order to work effectively on London roads, Mark and Jay must frequently conduct unit maintenance and other duties in the early hours of the morning, requiring expert knowledge regarding what the right roads to take are and when to minimise the infamous city centre difficulties.


Jon Larkins – North Delivery Supervisor – MVIS

Joining the group in 2017, Jon has progressed within the company to North Delivery Supervisor, working alongside Delivery Technician, Liam Griffiths servicing the Midlands and the North of the UK.

Jon has impeccable leadership and customer service skills, often receiving positive customer comments and being liked amongst colleagues as well – Jon has received Employee of the Month countless times in recent years for going above and beyond what is expected of him.

Highly trained in his role, Jon has continued to develop during his time at MVIS, recently qualifying as the group’s 3rd Mental Health First Aider, supporting every member of the team.

Jon is a dependable and highly skilled team player with great product knowledge and a passion for customer service.


Rebecca Prince – Purchasing & Stock Control Supervisor – Bartco UK

Bec started working with the company in 2015 as an apprentice and ever since has worked her way up to a supervisor role.

Seizing every opportunity for development possible, Bec is a prime example of how well the MVIS / Bartco UK apprenticeship programme can work, equipping her with not just the skills to do her role, but also skills and experience that contributes to a well-rounded employee.

In her role as Purchasing and Stock Control Supervisor, Bec has a keen understanding of the products and their components. With her strong communication skills, Bec works with the Bartco UK workshop team to ensure that we have the necessary tools and components stocked for all products so that the team can do their jobs for unit manufacture and maintenance.

Working alongside and training up Pip Wood, who herself also started as an apprentice, Bec has a wide scope of responsibility that is vital to the everyday running of the group.


Tim Hill – Workshop Supervisor – Bartco UK

Tim started with the group back in 2015 as a member of our delivery and maintenance team, progressing to Workshop Supervisor in 2019, where he oversees our Technical Support Team and Technical apprentices. We identified Tim’s ability for inspiring new talent early on, seeing him as a senior member of the team due to his experience fairly quickly.

Through his guidance and supervision, Tim is helping the entire workshop team develop their knowledge and skills, guiding not just our apprentice Jacob Spencer, but also some of the more experienced team members, Cain Gregory and George Sheldon, who always have something to learn from someone with as many years of experience as Tim does.

Technically minded with a keen eye for detail, Tim’s always on hand to make sure units are built on time and to the highest standard and his hands-on approach is valued highly by both customers and colleagues.


Chris Steel – Accounts Officer – MVIS

As our Accounts Officer, Chris is a highly skilled and experienced accountant, with a strong attention to detail.

Managing the company’s accounts, ensuring things are paid and working with Tom Berry in Credit Control, Chris is a vital component in the group’s financial success.

With extensive experience in Sage and offering support to other departments such as Sales or Purchasing & Stock Control, he is always ready to help members of the team from any level of the company who need assistance.

Being Accounts Officer requires Chris to be diligent and organised, not letting things go unpaid. This is a highly important job within the group as many systems we use require payment, which, if left unpaid, will result in bottlenecks in many staff member’s workflows and may even result in work being lost.


Sean Brown – Marketing Manager – MVIS

Sean has been with the company since 2019 and was taken on to manage the transition from agency marketing to in-house marketing. This task was a huge undertaking, having to build new systems for us to use and build a whole new infrastructure that suited an in-house marketing department.

Working alongside Alex Handley as Marketing Assistant and Ben Ashman as Data Assistant, Sean also oversees the group’s lead generation activities, assisting Juliette Wright in sales to reach out to new customers in new industries.

Sean is also charged with the development of his team, focusing on training Alex and Ben to enhance their skillset, raising the bar internally.

After working in marketing management for over 8 years, there isn’t much in the field that Sean hasn’t seen, equipping him with a wide range of skills that are perfect for an infrastructure build of this scale. However, since being with MVIS, Sean has continued to develop, recently obtaining his IOSH Managing Safely V5.0 qualification, as well as a Diversity and Equality in Workplace Diploma Level 3, earning him the title of Diversity Officer for the group.


Graeme Lee – Sales Director – MVIS

Graeme has worked with the group since 2012, helping to build our customer base and enforcing the high standards we set for ourselves through leading by example.

Highly skilled in sales, networking and maintaining relationships, Graeme is well respected within the industry and has amassed a number of career achievements during his time with us.

Graeme oversees the sales department, working with Sales & Customer Relations Administrator Juliette Wright to ensure that enquiries and projects of all sizes are managed properly. With years of experience in producing high value tender submissions and working with high profile customers from many different industries, Graeme is an incredibly valued member of the team.

Working by the principals of honesty, integrity and trust, Graeme’s reputation precedes him within the industry, being close friends with colleagues and customers alike after so many years of hard work and excellent service.


Anne Ashman – UK Group Commercial and Operations Director – MVIS

Anne is the central nexus of the MVIS and Bartco UK machine, leading the whole team through whatever is thrown our way.

During her 10 years with the group companies, Anne has gained 3 ISO standards across MVIS and Bartco UK, as well as countless accreditations that all support the Sales and Marketing teams to do their jobs, as well as laying a foundational framework for everyone to work to, keeping us safe and making sure our work is of the highest standard.

Anne strongly believes in the personal development of herself and her team, often mentoring apprentices and ensuring all new starters get the right training they need.  She has completed an OU Business Management degree, gained a level 5 HR qualification, IOSH Managing Safely, Directors Development Program and last year, earning the PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner qualifications whilst running the group companies.

Anne’s guidance is a critical component to the smooth running of the group, with a lot of the success we’ve seen over the last 10 years happening under her supervision.