Head-hunted sales executive marks 10 years’ service with Fareham-based company

Karen Crundwell works for CSG, an independent waste specialist, based at its head office in Fareham.

The 56-year-old mother of three, who started out working for the MoD in waste and energy management, was head hunted by the company to work as a transport co-ordinator for its dry waste division around 20 years ago.

She said: ‘I worked there for about eight months and really enjoyed it, but personal circumstances meant I had to leave.

‘I devoted my time to my children and did retrain at one point as a beautician and was also the estate manager of the complex where I lived.'

However, when a sales role became available with CSG 10 years ago, Karen was invited in for a chat and met up with her old sales manager. Her reputation lived on, and she was re-hired.

Karen, 56 who lives in Gosport, now works with the south west depots covering Bristol and Saltash.

She said: ‘I enjoy working with customers and trying to build the business. Two days are never the same.

‘Every phone call is unique, and our clients’ requirements vary greatly - one call could be sewage and the next could be emptying a large lagoon. I get a real buzz from taking that first call, finding a solution for the customer, and seeing the project through.

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‘I have worked with a lot of customers for a long time and know them really well, and what they expect.

‘I cannot believe that 10 years have gone by so quickly and that is because I enjoy coming to work, the days are interesting and if you enjoy something, it’s a big plus.’

CSG was founded as a one-man sewage collection business in rural Hampshire more than 85 years ago, and now employs a national workforce of more than 500 people.

The company, which has 26 depots across the UK, is one of the largest privately-owned industrial and domestic environmental waste management groups in Britain.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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