Liam Calvert

Background

About Liam Calvert

From packing boxes to managing an EU audit program How, you might ask? Allow me to explain, as of course this didn't happen overnight. In September 2010, after leaving the Merchant Navy, I found myself looking for a temporary job in between seeking permanent positions. Fortunately, Amazon had just opened a new warehouse in my hometown of Doncaster. I successfully applied for a temporary role packing boxes during the lead-up to Christmas. My journey with amazon had begun. At the beginning of 2011, I received an offer to continue this role permanently. I was enjoying my time working for the company and hoped there might be a future there for me. Therefore, I applied for several roles and was successful in attaining a position as a Learning and Development Associate. During my time in this position I gained a significant amount of knowledge from technical training skills to leadership, communication and project management. Two years later the knowledge and experience I had secured supported me during a successful secondment to another site as a Training Manager. In early 2014 I applied for a role as EU Learning & Development Program Manager at Amazon's EU HQ in Luxembourg. This role was a big step and I knew I would face challenges. I was no longer developing training programs for one site or contributing to UK projects but running EU level training projects as well as creating and delivering face to face training for all new corporate employees. Then, in September 2014, I was approached by key stakeholders who I had previously supported. Would I be interested in a role managing their new audit program? The answer was of course yes. During this time, I assisted the Dangerous Goods Team by creating multiple successful audit programs. From working with this team, I gained an extensive knowledge of Dangerous goods, but also of project and program management skills, leadership, managing without authority and of course of audit programs. So, in just over five years, I had gone from packing boxes in a warehouse in Doncaster to managing the EU Audit & Compliance Risk Program. How did I do it? Dedication, perseverance and I’d found what I love to do. It's cliché what people always say about doing what you love, and for a long time, I had no idea what that was. Of course, I would be lying if I said it was just auditing, project or program management that I loved. It’s the challenges behind each of these roles, the problem-solving. I’m skilled at managing and solving complex issues, scaling at speed, and driving long term solutions to problems within businesses.