A 40-Year Reflection: An Interview with Gavin Leverett

A 40-Year Reflection: An Interview with Gavin Leverett

Gavin Leverett joined Fletchers Waste Management in 2020 as Managing Director and led the business through its management buy-out in February 2020. Having joined the business two years ago and now celebrating its 40th anniversary, we wanted to find out his thoughts on recent accomplishments he’s been a part of and his hopes for the business’ growth over the next 40 years.

What accomplishments has the business made since you were appointed MD in 2020 that you’re proud of?

"I joined Fletchers just as the UK was entering lockdown. However, despite the pandemic, we have grown significantly over the last two years, which has enabled us to offer continued new employment opportunities and grow our service offerings for both our domestic and commercial customers.

In 2020, we acquired and integrated Retford Waste which enabled us to extend our operations further across South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. We also successfully launched Fast Skips, and I’m proud to see it continue to go from strength to strength. 

Since I joined the business, I have seen a new culture develop, which I’ve enjoyed being a part of. There is a strong “can do” attitude, and it’s great to see us all come together as a team to provide an excellent service."

What are your thoughts on how the business has evolved with its sustainability efforts, and what are your plans to keep this evolving?

"The business is now focused on increasing what recyclables are extracted from the waste, which is not only good for the business but is also good for the environment. The business benefits of sustainability need to be our focus so that everyone can get on board with it, and the environmental benefits will come as a by-product.

The operational side of the business is embracing sustainability efforts. We need to ensure that these efforts are adopted throughout the business so everyone can play their part; the whole business needs to think “sustainability”; it needs to become part of our DNA."

Do you have any favourite memories you’d like to share of your time at Fletchers so far?

"It is always the little things that make me smile the most; the pride on Kacper’s face when he passed his exams recently, Liam’s wry smile this week when he won a big muck away contract, Jak’s idea of supporting the Greenhill Library, seeing a driver cleaning his new truck and the simple pleasure of a thank you from a colleague after a recent paintballing event. It’s these small things that I go home and share with my family over dinner; the big things ironically take longer to achieve and can sometimes be an anti-climax; that’s not to say I don’t celebrate them, it’s just that the small successes seem more real and personal."

What are your hopes for the future, and how do you see the business growth for the next 40 years?

"I hope that we can continue to seek out new opportunities for the business so that we can navigate the business and environmental challenges that will be an inevitable feature of our world as a result of global warming. I would love to think that in 40 years our business will have played a small part in making our local environment a better place."