She will lead a team of ten at Heathrow, which is one of RSS’s ten national facilities.

Coleman joined the company 14 years ago, at the age of 16, as an administrator before being promoted to sales and hire coordinator, based in Pyle, South Wales. She relocated to London in 2019 to take an office manager’s position. The site was three years old at the time, having been set-up as the company’s fifth location.

Steve Hutin, managing director at RSS, said: “Upon relocation, Sophie had an immediate impact, improving all aspects of the operation. We eased her into the role via a trial period [from April] but that was just a formality; we knew she would be successful.

“Sophie excels in all facets of leadership and is outstanding at customer engagement and service. It’s a reality that it remains a male-dominated industry, but Sophie possesses great people skills and gets the best out of people at all levels of the business.”

Coleman said: “I am excited about the new challenge. I believe my experience at the company will support me, but I recognise that I need to remain committed to continuing professional development to build my knowledge and skills. Immediate goals include maintaining quality customer relationships, preserving best-in-class reputation, and nurturing our company culture.

 “There are areas that I have identified that work well, and others where I will look to implement changes. Only with a team-wide approach can we achieve these objectives, but strong foundations are in place. Mid-term, we know that the site will need to address expansion, and we must equip ourselves for that phase of growth.”

Coleman continued: “Pursuing a career in the lifting industry at such a young age was considered an unusual choice, but my progress is evidence that the sector presents opportunity to an ambitious young woman. Lifting, and RSS, have given me the ability to relocate and meet remarkable individuals along the way. There's a big difference in who I am from four years ago, let alone when I first started working in the industry.”

She added: “If it wasn't for Steve and the rest of the team at Pyle, I wouldn't be where I am today, and I can't thank them enough.”

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