John Nee
Factory Manager

John recently celebrated over 43 years of service after joining us straight from school at the age of 16.

The early years

John started out helping our drivers deliver orders to customers. This was a job he really enjoyed as each day was different and he enjoyed the face-to-face contact with our customers across the region.

Soon, John became an apprentice butcher learning how to produce cuts of meat to ensure each carcass is as profitable as possible. Key skills he learnt during his apprenticeship were: knife skills, health & safety, profitability, seasonality and customer service.

John […]

Norman Hunter
Operations Manager

Norman joined us just over ten years ago and has seen great changes at our Gateshead depot during those years.

Norman’s time before joining our team …

Norman brings a wealth of experience and skills to his current role, obtained by working in a diverse number of roles.

For many years, he worked as a banksman for a local brewery delivering across the north east.

For a number of years, Norman enjoyed working in social care with under-privileged children on a part-time basis. This involved sleeping over and ensuring the safety of the children in his care.

Tracey Woollerton
Sales Support Team Leader

Before joining us, Tracey worked in childcare and early years settings for many years. She was looking for a change in career direction and decided to put her organisational skills to the test.

Tracey’s career …

Tracey joined Pioneer in 2018 to work in our sales support team. Our sales support team is not just an integral part to our sales team, the team is quite often regarded the voice of Pioneer! Many of our customers know the team by name and voice only as the team is responsible for taking phone calls and handling customer […]

Amy Brown
Replenishment Planner

Amy joined us when she was 15 and still at school, working Saturdays in our warehouse.

The start of Amy’s career …

As soon as she left school at 18, she joined us full-time as an order picker, ensuring that customers’ orders were filled correctly ready to be delivered. She was also responsible for stocking our warehouse shelves neatly and tidily after supplier deliveries were made.

At the age of 20, Amy was promoted to a supervisor role. Now Amy was still responsible for picking customer orders however she supervised other staff to ensure that they were carrying […]

Christian Nugent
Meat Buying Manager

For many years, Christian worked in the retail sector until he decided to take a change in direction. He joined our butchery team in 2011 and became a trained butcher. With his skills and knowledge he was soon promoted to Meat Buyer.

Christian’s promotion

His eye for quality, understanding seasonal availability, customer demands and ensuring value for money, soon seen Christian promoted to Meat Purchasing Manager.

“Pioneer likes to promote within and this creates opportunity for everyone! From day one, Graham and David have been supportive and I’m allowed to work autonomously as I’ve been encouraged to be responsible for my […]