Welcome back Jonathan Branchett

Welcome back Jonathan Branchett

In this week's Leading the Way blog, Jonathan Branchett discusses his recent return to the Bristow & Sutor Group, explaining how his past experiences will contribute to an exciting new chapter.

Over to Jonathan…

I am delighted to come to you representing the Bristow & Sutor Group once again, in my new role as Operations ManagerAfter 15 years with the business, I decided to change career paths, but after reflecting on my time in enforcement and seeing the diverse opportunities continuing to emerge at the business, I looked into the possibility of returning. I am very excited to have now taken up a new position at the business, that will draw from my previous experience but also provide fresh challenges, objectives and outcomes.

Perception and change

Before I made the decision to leave, I had been working for over 7 years as the Bristow & Sutor Head of Enforcement, responsible for the day-to-day operations of our expert Enforcement Agent (EA) team and associated ancillary services. The coronavirus pandemic had a huge impact on every sector and enforcement employees were not immune. Bristow & Sutor made a conscious effort to keep spirits high, but as worldwide events continued to unfold, resulting in pauses of activity and furlough in all types of sectors, I could not help but feel COVID-19 was taking away the career I had enjoyed so much. I began to question what the right way forward was for me and ultimately decided to change industries entirely. 

In time, I began to realise the national situation was clouding my view, preventing me from seeing the way forward I was searching for existed where I had been all along. The company culture here is driven from the top and everyone at the Bristow & Sutor Group wants to ensure the business is an engaging and inclusive environment to work. The chance to be involved in wider strategy and development was something very appealing to me and I am delighted that I now have the chance to explore those areas with this team.

A new focus

My successor as Head of Enforcement for Bristow & Sutor, Bryan Wall, has done a phenomenal job and I am very much looking forward to working alongside him, providing insight where I can to complement the great leadership and motivational example he has already shown.  

My new role as Operations Manager focuses more on the overarching strategy of the Bristow & Sutor Group, comprising of Credit Style and Debt Recovery Plus (DRP) in addition to Bristow & Sutor. Before I left, the company had already evolved into a data-driven business and this has continued, with collection strategies being based on in-depth analytics and evidence. I am excited to get more involved in this area and will be looking to aid the business in enhancing these developments, techniques and approaches to ensure we keep leading the way.

By stepping away and now returning to the industry, I have gained a fresh perspective that I may not have obtained had I not taken the career steps that I did. The bolstering of the leadership team at the Bristow & Sutor Group was a key factor in this new opportunity presenting itself and I am looking forward to exploring new services and approaches that will add value to our clients and customers across the group.

A warm re-welcome

Bristow & Sutor has always been a great place to work, surrounded by good people. But I have to admit, I did not know how coming back would be received by colleagues. I was surprised at just how warm and positive the reception has been as I have been welcomed back with open arms. I can only thank the people involved, past and new colleagues alike, that have made returning an easy transition, almost as if I had never been away.

Reconnecting with a former employer can be a daunting prospect, but I am proof that in some cases the door is not permanently closed. I would encourage other former employees of Bristow & Sutor, who may have moved on but feel they should have stayed, to reach out if they are nervous about doing so. There will not always be the right opportunities available at the time, but you can be confident that you will be considered fairly. The culture at this business remains open, genuine and friendly.

I am already involved in some exciting new services and projects, and I am very much looking forward to seeing where my new career path within the Bristow & Sutor Group takes me.