Hero, a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. However, in this instance I’m referring to a person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great in the world of Contact Centres.

Back in 2010 the then Professional Planning Forum (now The Forum) announced its first Heroes as a way of recognising those who had achieved something and who could act as a role model for the community of best practice. Since then, each year as part of the April Gala dinner awards The Forum has continued to identify individuals who standout for their professionalism, achievements and for sharing what they do. Another strength is that these individuals typically continue to learn, develop and grow as professionals.

You can’t apply to be a Hero, there is no selection process or formal criteria and most importantly you can’t buy this. These individuals surface themselves to the conscience of others, becoming known to many people over a period of time, bringing their uniqueness, talents and ideas to the community.

2020 marks 20 years for The Forum and 10 years since we first identified Heroes of the industry, so as we prepare to announce our latest Heroes (29th September) I thought it would be good to take a look back on our previous Heroes.

2019 (All job titles and organisations at the time of the award)

• David Bruce, Innovation lead, Openreach
• Ian Gibson, Operations Director, Ingeus
• Laura Moss, Head of Command Centre, Santander Operations
• Lorna Stanley, Head of Planning & Change, BGL

2018

• Jasmeet Narang, Director at Santander Operations
• Phil Coole, Senior Operational Planning Manager
• Richard Brimble, Author & Director at Understanding & Learning

2017

• David Edwards, European head of Workforce Management, Staples
• Bob Stella, Head of Business Implementation, L&G
• Andy Bugg, Quality Analyst, FCA
• Jo Hale, Customer Contact Director, Domestic & General
• Peter Massey, managing Director, Budd
• David Maguire, Axa Swift Cover (Planning Hero)
• Victoria Clasper, Sainsbury’s Bank (Insight Hero)
• Tim Battye, Student Loans Limited (Quality & Customer Experience Hero)

2016

• Emma Botfield, Head of Customer Services, RS-Components
• Richard Aldous, Planning General Manager, Severn Trent Water
• Jenny Ryatt, Head of Command Centre, Geoban
• Rob Tuck, Director of Workforce Optimisation, Intercall
• Sven Hill, Head of Planning and Insight, Belron Autoglass
• James Taylor, RSA (Planning Hero)
• Wayne Deakin, Yorkshire Ambulance Services (Planning Hero)
• Maria Montoya, RSA (Insight Hero)
• Charmain Vallance-Poole, Holland & Barratt (Quality & Customer Experience Hero)

2015

• Richard Abdy, Workforce Scheduling & Planning Manager, NE Ambulance Service
• Dee Chapman, Call Centre Manager, Essex & Suffolk Water
• Ruth Mercer, Service Quality Manager, Hughes Insurance
• Ivan Smith, Support Services Manager, Motability Operations
• Colin Whelan, Senior Solutions Consultant, Aspect
• Patrick Dinsmore, npower (Planning Hero)
• Steve Stewart, Tesco Bank (Insight Hero)
• Kevin Richardson, npower (Quality & Customer Experience Hero)

2014

• Catherine Kellett, Operations and Planning Manager, The White Company
• Garth Harriman, Speech Analyst, Neopost
• Rachel Jones, Resource Planning Manager, Worldpay
• Adiba Ghauri, MI & Resource Analyst/ Training Officer, Harrow Council
• Steve Pink, Head of Operational Performance, LV=

2013

• Jamie Campbell, Forecasting and Scheduling GI Sales, LV=,
• Dave Conway, Performance Improvement & Quality Manager, UKAR, 
• Jonathan George, Operations Director, White Concierge
• Clare McMillan, Senior Capacity Planning Analyst, Tesco Bank
• Simon Butler, Resource Planning Manager, Direct Line Group

2012

• Peter Doak, Resource Planner at Concentrix
• Tim McKeegan, Performance Manager at Belron UK
• Anita Yandell-Jones, Performance Manager at DAS
• Tracy Johnson, Operational Planning Lead Retail Sales and Service at RSA
• Julie Warne, Head of Reservations at Carnival UK

2011

• Gerry Chambers, Forecasting and MI Manager at Student Loans Company
• Paul Milloy, National Resource Planning Manager at British Gas Services,
• Su-ann Pauline, Resource Planning Manager at Aegon Scottish Equitable
• David Hingley, Head of Management Information at Shop Direct
• Debbie Grundy, Manager at the Department for Work and Pensions

2010

• Phil Anderson, Resource and Planning Manager at Gold Medal Travel
• Adrian Hawes, Resource Optimisation Manager at Aviva
• Aaron Gourlay, Senior MI and Resource Analyst at Eurostar
• Nick Lane, Director of Strategy and Planning at Orange UK

Those who recognise the picture, and spot my name from the 2010 list, will know that I was lucky enough to be one of the first to be recognised. Having spent the previous 3-years learning from The Forum’s training courses, I signed off with an Innovation Award and a Hero Award in 2010. 7-months later I then joined The Forum. Now I’m in a privileged position to be helping shape and share best practice for the industry. I’ll never forget the feeling I had when my name was called out during the Gala dinner back in 2010. To be recognised outside of my organisation and by a wider community is extremely special and one that now I can create for others.

There are no mythological beasts, or legends in the above list, just hard-working normal people who have all achieved extra-ordinary things. If you have the faith and belief you are doing the right thing, keeping working hard, you may not notice everyday but one day you will be noticed.

Author: Phil Anderson
Date: 03/03/20