At Work With...John Boumphrey | Vice President Country Manager UK @ Amazon

1.?Tell me a bit about yourself? (Where are you from? What you do? One peculiar fact about you?)

?I joined Amazon almost 11 years ago as a director in our media division – CDs and DVDs were still a big thing back then! - and I’ve been UK Country Manager since November 2020. I grew up on the Wirral which is in the North West of England. I now live near London with my wife, three children, and a two year-old Labradoodle who keeps us on our toes! One peculiar fact about me is that I collect Rupert the Bear annuals, having been given them as Christmas presents every year as a boy, and I now have some that go back to the second world war.

?2.?How do you motivate yourself to give your 100% at work? What gets John out of bed in the mornings?

Back in 2010 when I first interviewed for a job here, one of the things that most appealed to me about Amazon was the leadership principles. We use these principles every day, across the business, on everything from developing new products and services to hiring, retaining, and helping our employees grow. Amazon’s leadership principles really resonated with me then, and still do today.

We often hear that the Leadership Principles are helpful not just for Amazonians, or people looking to get a job at Amazon, but that they can be a useful tool for anyone – so I’d encourage your readers to take a look! I’m especially excited by the two new leadership principles that we introduced last year - striving to be Earth’s best and safest Employer, and Success and Scale bring Broad Responsibility. In my role, the opportunity to have a positive impact for over 55,000 employees right across the UK as well as in the communities where we operate is really energising.

?3. How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today? What was the pivotal moment?

My first job was in consulting which was a great way to get exposure to and understand multiple industries and business challenges. I was fortunate that the consulting firm sponsored employees to go to business school, and while I there, I realised that I particularly enjoyed thinking about consumer facing businesses.

That realisation led me to get my first job in the retail industry at Home Retail Group (which owned Argos and Homebase at the time). I spent 5 very enjoyable years there before moving onto Amazon.

4.What are you most proud of in your career journey so far?

?I know this is a bit cheesy but I’m definitely most proud of the people I’ve hired and developed over the course of my career. I’ve always enjoyed leading teams and I’ve had to opportunity to work with so many amazing people throughout my almost 11 years at Amazon. One of the things I particularly relish is being able to see an x-factor that a person can bring to a team and then helping them unlock their potential.

?5.?If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?

I’d have joined Amazon much earlier than I did!?In general, I wouldn’t change a lot - I really enjoyed my time in consulting and in retail and those roles helped me build many of the skills I use today.?That being said, I might have kept up with the computer programming a little longer.

?6.?Lastly, what do you think is the most important attribute a leader should have in today's generation?

I think there are several important attributes that a leader should have, but if I had to pick just one it would be: clarify your purpose. Having a clear purpose is critical, both in terms of your business objectives, but also how you are contributing to society. It’s so important for leaders to be able to connect with and understand the impact their business is having on customers, employees, partners and the communities that they serve.

One of the areas I spend most of my time on is how Amazon is a force for good in the UK. This looks at the impact we’re having in communities across the UK. For example, how we’re creating good jobs and helping employees build skills; supporting small businesses ; tackling the climate crisis through our commitment to the Climate Pledge; and having a positive impact in communities up and down the country through donations and charity programmes – our partnership with Magic Breakfast is one I’m especially proud of. We delivered more than 5 million breakfasts to families across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Overall I’d really encourage leaders to take time to define their team’s purpose and to communicate this clearly.