Getting to know... Jack Mellor

In the latest instalment of Bdaily’s Getting to know… feature, which looks at the person behind the business profile, Jack Mellor, chief executive at Blackburn-based pre-employment screening firm Personnel Checks, talks about his time in France, the joy he takes from solving problems and banning lunchtime eating at desks.

We know you as the chief executive of Personnel Checks, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick…

First and foremost, I’m a husband and a dad; my favourite job by a mile.

Beyond that, I’m a communicator.

I haven’t got many other talents, but I can get good people collaborating and pulling towards a shared goal.

Did you always want to work in employment screening?

Not a chance; I don’t think anyone grows up dreaming of pre-employment screening.

As a kid, I wanted to be a chef, inspired by my mum in the kitchen.

When I got to secondary school, I fell for languages, especially French; it took me to Paris for five years, working in sales for a software firm.

I moved back to the UK basically at the request of my parents.

They wanted me to take over the business, and after some time as commercial lead, I took over Personnel Checks via a structured management buyout.

What’s the best bit about your job? And the worst?

The best is solving genuinely hard problems with great people; a real thrill, even when we get it wrong, which we often do.

The worst is staying on top of admin. Emails and Teams chats are my kryptonite.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Personally, becoming fluent in French.

Professionally, realising I could grow and run a successful business of 35 people, with plenty more to come.

Although if I’m allowed a bonus, it’s being a dad; there’s no greater achievement than parenting.

How do you relax outside of work?

The gym, two or three times a week, keeps me sane.

I’m a Burnley season ticket holder (somebody has to be) and I go with my dad.

I’ve caught the padel bug lately, and I love cooking, especially outdoors.

What makes Blackburn such a great place to live and work?

I don’t live there, so I can’t really comment on that.

But I can say that we’ve built a team of genuinely wonderful people from the town.

Folk from Lancashire are straightforward, friendly and good-humoured, and that spirit is the foundation our culture sits on.

Tell us something about you we didn’t know...

I’ve banned eating lunch at your desk, and if anyone spots a colleague doing it, they’re expected to call it out.

This is a rule inspired by my time in France.

If you know one thing about the French, it’s that they love food, and this is reflected in their culture.

At lunchtime, the entire country shuts down for an hour, and colleagues eat together, or people go home and eat with family, and I feel we’ve lost that here.

I see far too much of a grab-and-go culture in the UK, with people eating crappy sandwiches and crisps at their desks, and I just think it is sad.

It’s my number one rule, and I love it.

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