Warrington, a large town in Cheshire, on the banks of the River Mersey, 20 miles east of Liverpool, and 20 miles west of Manchester, is home to MAN2, an Amazon fulfilment centre in which robots help the team prepare packages for customers. The site is named after the nearest airport, Manchester and is the size of five football pitches.
Kirsty Mallinder, a former health, fitness, nutrition lecturer and a black-belt in karate, decided to make a life-change and moved from London to Warrington and joined the MAN2 team as a fulfilment centre associate when the site opened in 2017. Keen to learn and develop, about six months later Kirsty became an operations apprentice and just five months after that was promoted to safety coordinator.
“I have had an amazing journey and first year as an apprentice here. Amazon always finds a way to satisfy my hunger and curiosity for learning, growth and development. I am an instructor, a first-aider, a forum representative and I was promoted to safety coordinator in the short time I’ve been here,” said Kirsty.
As part of a programme called ‘I Found the Right Place’ Amazon invited employees from fulfilment centres across the UK to explain what they like best about working at Amazon and why it is the right place for them. More than 800 employees from across the UK and dozens from each site put pen to paper.
In her entry, Kirsty wrote “I love it here, that's for sure; the work, the team and so much more; the chats, the laughs, the interaction. It's an amazing thing working at Amazon and all the possibilities it brings. What comes next in my Amazon journey? I'll have to wait and see but longevity, that's the key and always looking at the bigger picture...that's just me. Amazon has given me a home...a base. I absolutely know that I have found the right place!”
All of the entries were anonymised and the best entry from each fulfilment centre was chosen. The chosen employees were invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to Seattle, U.S., to explore the Amazon head office and see where it all started.
“When I found out I was going to Seattle I was speechless, and that doesn’t happen very often!” Said Kirsty.
During the five-day trip to Seattle, Kirsty and Amazon colleagues from sites across the UK were shown around the city and enjoyed a trip up the Space Needle. They also went on a tour of the Amazon campus and the robotics fulfilment centre in Kent, Washington, where they met Amazon’s chief scientist.
“I loved visiting the Amazon head office, seeing Seattle’s fantastic architecture and getting chance to hear from a panel of inspirational Amazon leaders,” said Kirsty.
In a message to anyone considering a career at Amazon, Kirsty said “Amazon offers fantastic opportunities and on top of that, you get to work with a great bunch of people, so if you are considering a career here, go for it!”
