Sharpsmart Spotlight: Neil Robinson

To go from metaphorically living with Eskimos to quite literally camping with Aboriginal peoples, one must first travel the path of wisdom, aka the Nullarbor desert train…

We want to take a moment to shine the spotlight on Sharpsmart’s wisest guru, our Strategic Business Partner, Neil Robinson.

Who’s Behind Sharpsmart’s Business Strategy?

With an astounding nine grandchildren and another one on the way, Neil doesn’t have much spare time to himself outside of work, but when he does, he spends most of it heartbroken and disappointed as he’s a Sheffield United season ticket holder…

Neil’s journey with Sharpsmart spans some 17 years which he describes as enjoyable and fulfilling, but not without challenges when it comes to successfully exceeding the needs of the healthcare industry.

Neil has witnessed Sharpsmart’s development from its formation as a commercial joint venture to becoming an established entity in its own right with operations facilities, a transport fleet, and a commercial sales team, to the point where Sharpsmart is now a key NHS partner and industry leader.

You may have heard of the yogi who spent 12 years living alone in a Himalayan cave to attain profound wisdom... He’s got nothing on Neil, who spent countless hours of nothingness travelling the Nullarbor Plain by train to get to a football match in Adelaide.  And as if that wasn’t enough, he took the same route back home after the match.

Did he manage to acquire the profound wisdom of a cave-dwelling yogi? Neil says “It was a strange experience all in all, but I did get to camp out in an Aboriginal reserve.”

So now that you have an idea of who Neil Robinson is, let’s hear directly from him. We spent some time with Neil to better understand his Sharpsmart experience.

What were your first impressions of Sharpsmart?

I saw a company with a close and caring environment and an incredible purpose developed by Dan Daniels to make healthcare safer.

There were initially multiple barriers to entry into the market for reusable sharps containers but the support given by the global leadership team was evident from day one and is still going strong with Sharpsmart’s insatiable drive to provide a safer healthcare environment.

What do you enjoy most about working with Sharpsmart?

In addition to being able to support the NHS on its journey towards a safe working environment for healthcare professionals and their route to Net Zero, it’s also seeing the people we’ve brought into the business develop into respected leaders and industry experts.

Is there a customer moment / meaningful anecdote that stands out as especially rewarding?

I was invited to a social event also attended by Paul from Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and during a discussion at dinner he mentioned he wanted to point out just how unique and supportive he’d found his Sharpsmart experience.

Paul told me that the Sharpsmart experience is delivered at every touchpoint when interacting with our products and services. He mentioned that our Contract Manager for the site was always available to support both from a waste management and a clinical interface standpoint, and the Field Service Technician who went above and beyond during rollout and whilst supporting the Trust when auditing.

Paul also mentioned how helpful and supportive the Customer Service team had been and how the plant staff consistently solved problems and tackled every challenge head-on.

He told me that collectively all this support comes together seamlessly to provide a unique customer experience.

I find it incredibly rewarding because this is what I’ve always aimed to achieve in putting the customer first. We look at any challenges large or small as an opportunity to serve and learn, and that’s what we’re here to do as we strive for continual improvement in everything we do.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve been asked to do whilst on the job?

I had to volunteer as part of a charity fund-raising event within the Daniels US business whereby staff members made a donation in order to hit their senior leaders square in the face with custard pies.

Of all the volunteers, I managed to raise the most money for charity – I guess that says a lot about how liked I am within the business…

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?

It has to be to take your time, don’t rush, and avoid making hasty decisions when hiring just to fill a gap when bringing in new staff members. We must take our time to understand whether the move is right for both the candidate and the business. In a growing, innovative, dynamic, and constantly changing environment, you need to hire those who will consistently develop with the business and give longevity of service, and that individual will have the potential to become a future leader as we grow together.

What’s the most fulfilling thing you’ve done with Sharpsmart?

Without a doubt, being part of an incredible talent acquisition group who have consistently sourced future leaders and worked with hiring managers to help them develop into senior leadership positions within both the UK business and the global team. There are many examples within Sharpsmart of leaders who have consistently developed and grown through their career with the business who now hold national and global support positions, and in turn, are developing their own team of future leaders.

What does growth look like for Sharpsmart?

More opportunities for development within the UK and global business and within a consistent turbo growth environment.  We'll continue as the industry's leading innovator and we'll become the market leader through the optimisation of our services and the introduction of new products whilst flawlessly aligning with the needs of the healthcare industry. 

How would you describe the culture at Sharpsmart?

There’s a great team dynamic and closeness at Sharpsmart which is born out of Dan Daniels’ own personality. It’s innovative, fun, ethical, and fast-moving with a solid national support structure in place and an unwavering customer-focused continual improvement mentality.

If you could dispel one myth about the healthcare waste industry, what would that be?

Some consider a career in healthcare waste to be an inferior choice in comparison to other industries but conversely, it’s one of the most complex, challenging, and rewarding industries with great scope for innovation and opportunities to support the NHS at a clinical, patient point-of-care and an environmental sustainability level.

What advice would you give someone looking for a career with Sharpsmart?

The reason so many people stay with this business for as long as they do is the same reason some may choose to leave early on – exposure to innovation and change. You need to be willing and able to embrace change. It’s a fast-paced environment where people work hard and deal with the unknown on a day-to-day basis but one thing is for sure, you'll have open-ended opportunities for growth and you'll have fun!

You should take the opportunities to win and improve yourself very early into your career with Sharpsmart and that in itself will lead to future career development opportunities born out of our strategy to double the business size by 2026.

You can reach out to anybody within the business for support but you also need to be supportive and available to help others. We pride ourselves on our leadership development culture – we’ll be developing your leadership skills whilst you’re developing those who work with you.

If you were abandoned on a desert island, which three Sharpsmart colleagues would you want with you?

Damien Simpson our IT guru, obviously because he’d find a way of getting an internet service working wherever we are. Martha Nutkins is an obvious one, she’s a champion rower and would find a way of getting us off the island and back to shore. Finally the boss, Kate Chambers. After 13 years of working together, Kate has proven that through thick and thin she'll be resourceful and has a solution for everything. Kate will find us a way to survive!

Bonus Question: What book has had the biggest impact on your life/career?

The Four Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney and Sean Covey.

Some may have said over my career with Sharpsmart (Jude Duff) that I have a tendency to overcomplicate things, this book actually changed my way of working and demonstrated the power of simplification and focus on those “wildly important goals”.

I'd recommend this to any leader involved in a complex whirlwind environment to create space for the important.

Join Our Pride!

Are you currently considering an exciting new career with an innovative company that gives you a platform for growth and development?

If you are, and you’d also like to be a part of making healthcare safer and more sustainable, you’ll fit in nicely with the Sharpsmart pride.

DISCOVER A CAREER WITH SHARPSMART