We’re thrilled to announce three internal promotions today – on International Women’s Day. All three women have experienced career growth at CBS and are continuing to go from strength to strength, as we always invest in the career development of our people.
Laura Lester has been promoted to the role of Operations Team Manager, Kelly Cooper moves departments and fills Laura’s previous role of Field Operations Manager, and Lorna Smithers takes on the position of Regional Manager North.
With almost 30 years’ experience at CBS collectively Laura, Kelly and Lorna offer a combination of sector and solution knowledge, a strong cultural fit, and a passion for putting our customers at the heart of everything they do.
Laura Lester
Laura began her CBS career in 2015 as a database coordinator in Marketing, before moving to the Customer Experience Team (CET) 18 months later. Since then, she has worked her way up the department ladder and took on her new role from 1 February.
Laura says: “Since joining CET, I had aspirations of reaching this role. I felt confident I could progress with the support of CBS. While building my expertise in the department I have developed a passion for making a difference. I thrive on delivering the best possible experience for our clients and I’m looking forward to supporting my new team through personal development.”
Kelly Cooper
Kelly has been in the Driver Development team as an executive since 2008 and has been a key contact some of our largest franchised dealer customers. Having become an expert in this area of the business, Kelly was ready for a new challenge to further her career development. She starts her new position in CET on 1 April.
She says: “I wanted to go on a journey to become an expert in another area of the business, challenge myself and explore outside of my comfort zone. I can utilise some of my current skills, but I have the opportunity to further my technical knowledge in my new position. I’ve built some great client relationships, which I know will provide me with a good foundation.”
Lorna Smithers
Lorna has a background in the automotive industry, having worked within the dealer network for over 14 years, most notably was 11+ years at Williams BMW. She joined CBS in 2017 as database coordinator, before moving to the Network Development Team (NDT) as a sales analyst in 2018. Lorna moved into the Regional Manager role on 1 March and remains within the NDT team.
Lorna describes what she’s looking forward to: “Combining my previous dealer group experience with my CBS expertise. I’m excited to get out on the road to visit our customers to see how I and CBS can keep adding value to their businesses.”
News of these three new appointments comes today, on International Women’s Day, where people around the UK and the rest of the world celebrate the social, economic and cultural achievements of women. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity – something that CBS as a business does well.
We continuously consult with our customers, review their individual needs and tailor their employee car benefit solution so that every business and every driver receives first-class service as standard.
Head of Customers & People, Elise Broderick says: “We’re proud to make this announcement on a day which celebrates the achievements of women. Here at CBS, we champion all employees and we’re currently running Employee Appreciation Month to demonstrate just how much we value the hard work and dedication of our people. I look forward to seeing Laura, Kelly and Lorna embed in their new roles and watching them grow and develop.”
