10 things with…Jaiden Lewis, Operations Manager

Jaiden Lewis is Operations Manager at Perry Barr and has been at National Express for just over four months. We caught up with Jaiden to learn more about him…

About you

Which country would you most like to visit?
I would absolutely love to visit Australia, however with all those creepy crawlies, especially the spiders, it’s unlikely I will make it there as my Mrs has a huge fear. So, my next choice would be an African safari. It would be amazing to see animals in their natural habitat and would be a memorable experience.

Describe your perfect weekend…

Firstly, no alarms! I really value the time I get to spend with my family and the simple things are the best. I love waking up and cooking something nice for breakfast with my Mrs and then taking my two dogs out for a long walk, taking a pit stop at the local pub, followed by a bit of mooching around the shops. Then back home, open a bottle of wine, order a takeaway and watch a film.
You are out for dinner, what do you choose as your favourite meal?
My go to is always steak or a curry, but when given the opportunity, I do like to try new things. Over the years, some of the more memorable things I have tried are Sea Urchin, Zebra and Goat Brain!

It’s karaoke time, what will you sing?
If you can get me up there, I’ll choose Sweet Caroline but you’ll have to buy me a pint or two first.

About your role, what is the best part of your job?
It’s only been a few months but so far, I would say it has been meeting all the team and seeing how much they really do care about their employees. It’s really refreshing.

If you could ask for one improvement to working here, what would it be?
Coming here from another bus operator down in London and seeing a different way of working, I would say that I would like to see less Google Sheets and more direct systems for all required information. I think it would benefit all areas of the business and give valuable time back to those who use the systems.

Who would you like to give a callout to, for being a great colleague, and why?
Firstly, Kerry Jukes gets a big shout out for taking a chance on me and employing me. But I would also like to thank Mat Dale for helping to integrate me into the business and giving me a good baseline of knowledge in my first few weeks. I am still pestering him frequently and so far he is still answering my calls. I know you only asked for one, but lastly, to my amazing Perry Barr team for being so supportive and showing how much they really care for the garage and want it to be the best it can possibly be!

Let’s have some fun…would you rather?

Would you rather go into the past and meet your ancestors or go into the future and meet your great-great-grandchildren?
I am an old soul at heart, so for me I would definitely choose to go into the past, meet my ancestors. The world will have changed so much by the time I have great-great-grandchildren.

Would you rather keep your current first name or change it?
I’d have to keep it, in my closest family, all our names start with a J. My Mum, Janet, would never forgive me if it was anything else. My sister is called Jodi, my Aunt is Julie, my Nan is Jean and my Grandad John – you get the gist!

Would you rather be able to talk with animals or speak all foreign languages?
I have always wanted to be bilingual so for me, all foreign languages would be brilliant and would help immensely when travelling the world.