Dave Cunnington

I joined Royal Mail Group as a postman during my gap year. But it wasn’t long before I saw the potential of the company and re-joined as an A Level management entrant. I worked my way up quite quickly – people were willing to take a risk with me and promote me into roles that I wasn’t necessary qualified for. I put that down to my positive attitude, people focus, strong organisational skills and undying optimism!

Jumping in at the deep end has been difficult at times. My toughest role to date was general manager of East and North London. The area was perceived as the worst performing in the country. But I managed to turn things around by giving the area purpose and direction, promoting some unsung heroes and putting a positive spin on things.

My current role involves leading the strategy, design, change deployment and performance for Royal Mail Group’s International Operation. That’s 2,200 people, a multi-million pound budget and five international operations sites – a huge undertaking that takes real dedication and determination. The key to a successful career, in my experience, is to go for roles that will stretch you rather than safely staying in familiar territory.

I worked at Royal Mail during my gap year but once I saw the career opportunities on offer, I re-joined – this time as an A Level Management entrant. ”