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We kick off April with our newly appointed UK Country Manager on board. Meet Sébastien Potts!

Sébastien joined us back in January as the Head of Commercial, and since then has been leading our business development and growth efforts, as well as streamlining the processes around client success management.

As you can see, Sébastien has been busy out on the road helping spearhead our UK expansion, but we thought our blog would give you a better insight into Sébastien and what to expect in his new role. ‍

David: Congratulations on the new role, Sébastien! How does it feel to be the new UK Country Manager?

Seb: I am very excited and honoured to accept the opportunity to be the new Urb-it UK Country Manager. Over the past few months, I feel like we have progressed collaboratively here as a team here in the UK. This makes my role feel rewarding and full of responsibility as we continue to thrive.

What has your journey been like so far? Why did you join Urb-it?

I have over 20 years of senior logistics experience’ and my journey has led me to working in both the UK and Australia. If we want to look at the past, my professional journey started in supply chain and retail logistics in Melbourne before returning to the UK to a stint logistics consulting with the Royal Mail Group and green logistics startup Gnewt.  I also run my own sustainable fashion marketplace that connects sustainable brands with ethically conscious shoppers.  

I joined Urb-it as I enjoy being in an ethically driven impact business. Urb-it allows me to take the company on a journey of sustainable growth whilst impacting people’s lives along the way, whether that being within our team and/or our local communities.  

What can we expect to see in your new role as Country Manager UK?

2021 is set to be a great year for Urb-it.  Over the coming months, we can expect to see strong growth through new clients onboarding and our rapid UK-wide city expansion plans that are already underway.

What plans do you have for developing this growth at Urb-it?

With a steady pipeline of sales and city rollouts, the plan for the team is to build the foundations that allows for strong and achievable growth. Of course, there will be some moments of ‘growing pains’, though we have a very strong, resilient team in the UK and across the wider business.  I will do my best to preserve the Urb-it culture of collaboration where we come together and resolve any complex obstacles in our path. As Urb-it grows I want to keep the positive work culture, and dedicated attitude towards helping our clients whilst meeting our own sustainability targets.

Logistics is constantly evolving, what have you noticed happening and can Urb-it capitalise on this?  

Having been involved in several logistics businesses in my career, I see the next 12-18 months focused on increasing retailers ‘bricks and mortar’ revenues. This will be realised by utilising stores as ‘local fulfilment centres’ and backing them up with a solution that achieves efficient deliveries, but also reduces Co2 emissions.  What the pandemic has taught us is to look after each other and the planet. Consumers now have the power to make a huge impact through purchasing decisions, so ethically minded shoppers will be looking for a service that fulfils a sustainable and ethical end to end solution (from raw material to consumer).

What’s in store for Urb-it in 2021?

Right now, it’s such an amazing time to be involved with an impact business.  We are now live in 3 cities and are on target to have a total 6 cities launched by end of Q2. At the start of 2021 we only had 1 city! This is testament to our ability rapidly scale and meet the needs of our clients and the consumer. As a certified B Corp, we are on mission to transform logistics with a human service that fights for the health of our cities. We are well on track to offer green delivery convenience to more and more cities across the UK and beyond.

That’s all when it comes to Urb-it. So, please, tell us something about yourself. Do you have any hobbies? How do you like spend your free time?

Being an outdoors person I am always outside doing activities as often as possible. I am regularly involved in 5-a-side football, tennis, and my true passion - mountain biking, that really comes alive in summer. Being half French with my family in Corsica you’ll find me regularly there al fresco dining as much as possible as well as getting out on the water or up into the mountains, as the views are simply breathtaking!

Thank you for your time, Sébastien. And all the best in your new role and continued success at Urb-it.

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