26th August 2024

The public face of Ocean Ecology Ltd is the science, the surveys and the customer service. But behind the scenes at every successful organisation are the people who enable it to happen, like Amy Read.

Amy has recently been promoted from her role as Human Resources Manager to become our Head of Corporate Services. This not only reflects the growth in size and scope of the business but also the impact she has made in improving the way the business runs.

The changes she has introduced have been very significant and at the Ocean Ecology 10th anniversary celebration in May, she was recognised for her work with the Transformation award and a heartfelt standing ovation from staff across all three businesses.

“When I first came here in 2020 there were 16 of us and I was Office Manager,” explained Amy.

“It was very efficient and well-run with lots of multi-tasking between roles but businesses of that size don’t have the structures in place that will sustain them as they grow.

“So I introduced various HR standards to make sure everyone and everything was looked after.”

After being appointed as HR Manager, many of those systems and procedures Amy introduced played an important role in ensuring the company was awarded ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certifications (for quality, for environmental management and for health and safety at work respectively) in 2023. And, of course, these important standards were successfully renewed at the start of this year.

Recruitment quality

“Recruitment has been a major focus over the last four years,” said Amy.

“A few months’ ago, we reached a milestone of 100 members of staff and as demand for our services continue to grow, we do too.

“That’s a lot of people in a lot of different roles – many of those positions never existed a few years ago. And not only have the numbers of applications we get grown massively but also the quality of applicants too, which is really satisfying.

“And in addition to regular recruitment, we’ve also introduced new elements, such as the apprentice scheme and bringing in students.

“The HR aspect of my role also means supporting staff and the systems we’ve introduced have been increasingly important as our numbers have grown. It streamlines the work while ensuring standards are met but it also frees me to take a more personal approach where needed.”

Now the new role as Head of Corporate Services further expands the scope of Amy’s work

“We’ve set up the Corporate Services team which covers the day-to-day running of the business, from accounts to office management and compliance to marketing,” she said.

“HR remains a key focus, and supporting the Directors and Managers with ongoing changes is an essential part of my role. I’m excited about the opportunity to grow in this new position.”