Then and now... Robin Weston

In the latest instalment of Bdaily's Then and now series, Robin Weston, chief revenue officer at Hebburn-based ITC Service, reflects on his career, from his first role to the present day, highlighting the lessons he has learned from his personal and professional evolution.

You’re chief revenue officer at ITC Service. What does your role entail?

My role is all about driving growth.

I work across the commercial teams including sales, marketing and procurement, making sure we’re aligned and heading in the same direction. 

The role is exciting. It’s a mix of big-picture thinking and day-to-day collaboration to keep the business moving forward, and every day is different.

Did you always want to work in the technology/managed service sector? Or did you have other ambitions when you were growing up?

Not quite! When I was growing up, I was very sports-focused, and I spent a lot of my youth playing cricket and rugby. 

I was lucky to be able to spend the first 12 years of my career playing cricket professionally.

What was your first job – and did you enjoy it?

After leaving professional sport, I got a job with Northern Rock, which had been the main sponsor of the club I was playing for. 

I joined the graduate scheme there, where I was a marketing product manager – and I worked with some fantastic people. 

It was a marketing-led organisation, and a brilliant place to start my career. 

I moved into a hybrid role in a customer services team, looking after the customer journey and working with the complaints team to ensure the best experience for our customers. 

My first sales role came after touching base with a well-known recruiter – I ended up working for them for five years, recruiting for high-end commercial roles. 

Were there any mentors or individuals that helped shape your career? And are you still applying lessons you learned then to your workforce of today?

In my first job, I was fortunate to directly report to Helen Brass, who was an excellent first manager, but the head of the department was Allison Thompson, who was a great leader. Strong, direct, formidable – and she didn’t suffer fools. 

I still think about the way the whole team respected her, because she valued everyone’s opinions – she earned the team’s respect by giving them the opportunity to contribute and make a difference. 

Latterly, I worked with some great people at NBS, in Newcastle. 

I particularly admired the chair Colin Smith, and the way he handled the COVID-19 situation – he was a great inspiration and lesson on leadership, and Chris Slinn was the first person to give me the confidence to step up and develop into a true leadership role. 

What attracted you to the technology/managed service sector?

I’m not sure if it was the sector or the role which appealed to me at the time.

Having worked in several sectors I had no fear of change, but when I met Christopher Potts (founder and director of ITC Service) I felt we could work well together, and his vision for the business really resonated with me. 

When you work in the technology sector, you really get a new appreciation for the importance of business IT. 

It’s not just a tool, it’s something that can make a huge difference to a business in a positive way, and a very negative way if you don’t get it right – and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

How do you feel you’ve changed as a person over the years? Have career roles brought new dimensions to your personality?

As I’ve got older, and my family has grown up, my approach to my career has certainly changed.

I’ve had the satisfaction of watching my son grow and achieve his goals, and I feel like I can now apply that same approach to my work.

When I was younger, I was happiest out selling on the front lines, making money and working independently, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve enjoyed seeing, supporting and enabling success for other people on their career journeys. 

I like working with people and I like to see people do well in their careers. 

Being part of a growing business like ITC Service is the perfect environment for that.  

We welcome and nurture growth and ambition, and this is the perfect role to support others on their journey. 

You’ve seen many changes to the employment world across your career – how do you see the workplace evolving in years to come?

Technology does, and always will, play a major part in the workplace, but there is still a huge need for good people.

And that will never change.

People must embrace change, and change seems to be happening faster than ever.

But it’s important that people continue to adapt, lean into the positive and keep going. 

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