Sam Colley has been involved with Redhill for years. As the wife of Managing Director, Andy Colley, she has always assumed a supporting role, with Redhill very much in her DNA. Post-fire, however, Sam has come into her own, taking an active role in the company and recently being appointed a Director in June 2022.
Here, we catch up with Sam and find out more about her new role, what it involves and her aims for the future.
As a Director, Sam is responsible for HR, Policies and Procedures at Redhill. This sees her maintaining relationships across the board with customers and suppliers, ensuring despatches run smoothly and on time, and providing guidance and leadership to employees.
Day-to-day, Sam takes on a ‘hands on’ approach, which can involve a little bit of everything, from strategic alignment to rolling up her sleeves and helping on the shop floor – and is certainly not afraid of getting her hands dirty!
The fire at Redhill, in May 2022, which destroyed the previous factory premises, proved to be a turning point for her involvement with the company. “Following the recent fire, I have become heavily involved in leading our disaster recovery operation,” she admits. “I am an exceptionally positive, determined and driven character. Driving growth at Redhill is my passion.”
With 15 years’ experience running her own business, working in sales, recruitment and selection, Sam has a very strong work ethic and has risen to the challenge of moving the company forward. “I aim to develop and execute our business strategy,” she says, “building on our strong foundation as we move forward into the next chapter at our new site.
What Sam has achieved in the past few months is nothing short of phenomenal. In an amazingly short time, the company has secured new premises, new machinery and additional staff and started a night shift and double shift. Within just a couple of weeks, the company was manufacturing its full product range and is now fully committed to reducing lead times and expanding its range further.
Working alongside husband Andy Colley, Sam is totally focused on the future and moving the company into its next phase. “I am dedicated to driving change within Redhill and am constantly looking at how we can improve our systems and procedures to deliver our objectives effectively and efficiently,” she says. “I want to ensure our customers have a seamless experience when buying our quality British-made products.”
Living locally in Worcestershire, Sam and Andy also have an active life away from work, hobby farming in their spare time. “We love nothing more than a full house, entertaining friends and family with produce we’ve grown on our farm,” she says. “Our friends refer to us as Ma and Pa Larkin!”
“In April, our sow, Cassandra gave birth to twelve piglets by our 40 stone, gentle giant, boar Rodney,” she continues. “We also have goats, chickens, ducks and geese and are looking to expand our small holding with two heifers in the near future.”
