Nikki Amers-Delph – Sales Director at Wernick Hire

Nikki’s interview

I am the Sales Director at Wernick Hire.

I manage the Major Accounts team, which includes Major Accounts Managers, internal sales people and Account Co-ordinators who work from our clients offices. I look after Wernick Hire’s two largest accounts, so I have a lot of responsibility! I have recently joined the Management team at Wernick Hire, and represent the company’s sales teams at quarterly management meetings.

I’ve only been in my current role for a year – but besides being Yard Foreman, I’ve worked in almost every role in Wernick Hire! I started at Wernick in 1999 as a Hire Controller at Hull Depot. I then progressed to Regional Sales Manager and was made Depot Manager in 2007. I had 2 children and when one of my sons fell ill, I left Wernick to focus on my family. I was keen to return back to Wernick and re-joined as Regional Sales Manager in 2014. I worked under Darren Brown for a year until I took on the role of Major Accounts Manager, looking after our two biggest accounts. When the Sales team was restructured and we took on more Accounts Managers I was moved to Head of Major Accounts which is my present role.

I’ve made a lot of leaps in my career and I couldn’t have done that without the support I received from the Directors – right up to David Wernick. In particular, Michael Thistlethwaite and Darren Brown supported me right from the start. They saw that my skills were best suited to a sales role and they guided me towards positions I’ve really excelled in. When I came to the Group I was quite young, so I was eager to prove myself. I really worked my socks off, and Wernick is the kind of place where loyalty and hard work are repaid in kind: I think my progression is proof of that.

My proudest achievement thus far was a project I managed as Depot Manager at Hull for Vivergo Fuels. It was one of the company’s largest hire projects and saw the introduction of our Blast Resistant fleet of units. It was a giant contract at the time, so it was vital everything went smoothly. I gained a lot of confidence from that job: I was working with major players in the fuel industry and dealing with a really high profile project and it was such a boost when everything went well. Thinking about it – it was probably great practice for the role I’m in today!

The best aspect of my job is working with our clients. The interactions I have and the relationship building aspects of the job are something I excel at, and really enjoy. It’s also very fortunate that I have close relationships with a lot of Hire depots. Sales can be quite a lonely role when you’re here, there and everywhere, so having strong relationships within Wernick Hire makes every aspect of my job easier. I think that’s one of the benefits of working in a family run company – the atmosphere is much more friendly than corporate. I can speak to any of the Executive Team when I need to and that family feeling runs down to the depots. We’re all on first name terms and we feel like a team. I couldn’t do my job as effectively if I didn’t work so well with the depots I interact with. It also helps that I really believe in the service I sell. I think that Wernick Hire’s service is the best on the market, and I think my clients can see that when I talk to them. Having a passion for what I do and working with such friendly, accommodating people, means I genuinely enjoy every day at work.

Outside of work: 

As well as pushing herself at work, Nikki enjoys pushing herself in her time off – taking on fitness challenges like Tough Mudder – with two events already lined up for 2018. She also likes to attend various music concerts, often going outside of the UK to see her favourite bands. Otherwise, with a 10 year old and an 11 year old, Nikki has very little spare time, and can normally be found running around after her sons, which will at least help her keep fit for this year’s Tough Mudder!