Airport Coordination Limited’s two new recruits, Elaine Harvey and Kiran Hameed, joined ACL’s coordination team on the 24th January 2022. After their first week, Elaine and Kiran sat down to interview each other about their time at ACL. Here they give us some insight on what it’s like starting at ACL, what they have learnt, and a bit about Elaine and Kiran too.
Welcome to two of ACL’s newest coordinators!
Kiran, how was your first day and were you nervous?
My first day was better than expected and I had a few nerves before coming into the office but as time progressed everything went as planned. I was greeted by Marion, the Personal Assistant to the CEO who I had been in contact with during my recruitment. She was so lovely to meet in person for the first time.
A member of the Information Services (IS) team showed me how to access the system and set me up as well as introducing me to Shahbaz Bhatti (my new line manager). Any nerves I felt at the beginning went away immediately.
Elaine, how did you feel about meeting with the CEO on your first day?
ACL’s CEO, Neil Garwood, reached out with a welcome message on LinkedIn the week before I started. This was a lovely gesture and helped me feel less nervous when I saw the meeting with him in my calendar on my first afternoon!
The introduction with him was informal and relaxed and everything was so positive, genuine, and inspiring. It left me feeling even more excited than I was before about working with ACL.
Kiran, how welcoming has everyone been so far?
Everyone has been extremely welcoming so far; I am impressed by how open and friendly everyone has been. I have never experienced such a warm welcome, so it has been refreshing, and I feel lucky to be part of a wonderful team.
Elaine, as ACL offer agile working, how did you find setting up the equipment and getting access to the systems remotely on day one?
The setting up of the equipment went smoothly. When I opened the box for the laptop I chuckled as I initially thought someone had sent me a foot massager for my birthday! It was straightforward to put together and apart from completely losing my internet for 24 hours the day before starting, logging on and accessing everything the first day was handled superbly by Marion and the IS team.
Kiran, what do you think about ACL’s vision and values?
So far, I have found consistency throughout the entire company. Having heard the CEO go through each of ACL’s values (Integrity, Together, Professional, Own It, Striving for Better) and how they were introduced makes me feel more confident in my ability as learning is encouraged as well as being proactive and owning our own decisions.
Elaine, how do you feel about the training plan in place?
I was wondering how I would start to learn all the complex parts of coordination and worried about how quickly I would have to pick things up. Seeing the training plan has quelled any fears as it’s all there, broken down into sizeable chunks, with suggested timescales and now I am confident that I can work through that and use it as a valuable tool as part of my ongoing development.
Kiran, what do you think your biggest challenge will be?
At this moment I feel my biggest challenge will be to keep up at a healthy pace learning new terminologies and system processes. Personally, I enjoy challenges and am exciting to learn something every day.
Elaine, what are you looking forward to the most?
I am looking forward to getting to know my colleagues better and meeting our customers with a view to helping exceed their expectations in coordination. I am also looking forward to the day when I feel like I have taken a load off my team, and they feel like I’ve added some value to them and the wider organisation.
Get to know Elaine and Kiran- Rapid Fire:
Tea or Coffee?
E- Tea
K- Coffee
Favourite biscuit?
E- Milk chocolate digestive
K- Fox sport
Morning person or midnight owl?
E- Morning person (not by choice!)
K- Always been an early riser.
Favourite film?
E- The Holiday
K – Flipped
What are you binge watching now?
E- Afterlife
K- The Morning Show
Least favourite chore around the house?
E- Can I only pick one? Cleaning the oven!
K- Putting laundry back, I do not know why it takes up more space after being washed ☹
A passion nobody knows I have…
E- Walking the dog in the woods, I love nature, the more trees, streams and mud the better.
K- I love running. I’ve completed two half marathons so far!
Do you have any phobias?
E- Spiders
K- Spiders and mould
Who is the most famous person you have met?
E- I think ‘met’ is a stretch, but I once followed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie around Legoland Windsor.
K- Cate Blanchett, who travelled with an airline I worked with many times.
What is your dream destination for a holiday?
E- I want to see more of Italy, it is so beautiful.
K- Greece looks so picturesque with sandy beaches and clifftops.
By Elaine Harvey and Kiran Hameed – Airport Coordinators
