Get to Know… Gareth Williams

Where are you from originally and where do you live now?

I was born in Bristol and still live there.

What was your first job?

I worked as a Stationery Clerk for HM Revenue & Customs. I started in the Civil Service at 18 years old and stayed for eight years. During that time, I was promoted twice and ended up in the Benefits Agency.

What job(s) did you have before joining Dawsongroup?

I’ve had a various different jobs. I like to think that each one has provided me with valuable experience that’s useful for my future career:

• HM Revenue & Customs – Stationery Clerk.
• Benefits Agency – Fraud Investigation Officer, Benefits Adjudication Officer, and Systems Expert for the Child Support Agency.
• At 26, I studied for a degree and did temporary work for a while after. I was fortunate enough to be taken on from one of my temp roles as a Management Accountant for Lane Group, a transport firm now owned by Wincanton.
• Financial Director for an employment agency, which was spun out of Lane Group.
• Financial Controller for a rental/vehicle sales business. I was there for 15 years before joining Dawsongroup.

When did you join Dawsongroup?

June 2022. I joined the company as truck and trailer’s General Manager for South-West England and South Wales.

What’s your current job and what does it involve?

I’m currently one of the team of Sales Managers for Dawsondirect and I cover South-West England and South Wales. Having recently joined the team, I’m really looking forward to working closely with my colleagues and both customers old and new, to sell them vehicles that meet their requirements.

What’s been the highlight of your career?

Having the guts to leave a Civil Service job that I wasn’t enjoying, and study for a degree – at the age of 26. I ended up renting out rooms in my house to pay the bills and cover my university costs. A lasting legacy from those days is that some of my old lodgers are still close friends.

Who or what has been the main influence in your career?

My father. He always worked hard to support our family. He came from nothing and put in the effort to gain qualifications and recognition in his career.

Originally in the merchant navy, he worked his way up to become a Chief Engineer and qualified as a Chartered Engineer. He was a European Engineer and on the Board of the SS Great Britain after its repatriation from the Falklands.

His business (a ship repair business based in Avonmouth) also did specialist work due to the skills of its engineers. For example, the company had boilermakers (highly qualified welders), and ended up making the fuel tanks for prototype Concordes as one of the plane’s main production centres was in Filton, Bristol. 

What’s your impression of working for Dawsongroup?

The company’s family ethos shows through in many things we do. We work with relevant charities and support staff who may be experiencing tough times. The outstanding point for me is the wonderful team of people we work with.

What do you do in your spare time?

I help with a local Scout group and try to go skiing at every opportunity I can. I’d describe my skiing skills as strong, intermediate to slightly untidy, advanced!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself…

The first time I flew in a helicopter, I had to abseil 100 feet to the ground from it!

I was in the Territorial Army for eight years, which included flying in Hercules planes. Hanging out of helicopters and driving Land Rovers off the back of moving airplanes was all part of the experience!

Your time in the TA builds friendships and trust in the armed forces that last the test of time. I still go skiing with an old friend from my TA days.

What’s on your bucket list?

Skiing the Vallée Blanche (a black off-piste ski run in France). The last time I went, the weather was too bad, and we had to turn back. I’m looking forward to being able to complete it next time.

What’s your favourite book or film – or genre?

Films and books with a twist – like The Green Mile. Set during the Great Depression, this Stephen King novel is about a death row prison guard who witnesses supernatural events following the arrival of a particular convict.

I also like cleverly written TV programmes – such as The Simpsons – which have a different meaning depending on your demographic.

What annoys you in life?

People who ask you to show them how to do a job, but contribute very little, expecting you to do most of the work, instead of allowing you to help them build the skills to do it on their own next time.

What’s your biggest regret?

I don’t like to think that way – you can look back and fester or look forward and try to do things to the best of your ability.

Anything else you’d like to mention?

I have two sons – 19 and 17 and I’m immensely proud of them. Our eldest has just joined the Navy as an Apprentice Engineer, so he has an interesting career ahead of him.

Occasionally I do a mad bike ride and then need nine months on the sofa to recover!

Since I joined Dawsongroup, I’ve completed a couple of charity rides – one from London to Paris and also the Hadrian’s Cycleway Challenge – both in aid of Transaid.