TILBURY'S Amazon Fulfilment Centre has a new general manager.

Ruzanna Sargsyan will oversee operations at the massive centre which opened its doors in 2017. 

Before moving to the UK 12 years ago, Ms Sargsyan worked as country logistics manager for a distribution company in Armenia. Having studied applied mathematics and informatics at university in Armenia, followed by an MBA at the University of Cambridge, Ruzanna was keen to apply her knowledge in the logistics industry in the UK.

In 2012, she joined Amazon as a pathways operations manager on a programme designed to rapidly develop talented MBA and Masters-level graduates with the skills needed to be Amazon general managers, directors and VPs. 

Following several different roles across five Amazon sites, Ms Sargsyan recently celebrated her ten-year anniversary with the company with a promotion to general manager. She will now take the helm at Amazon in Tilbury after transferring from Amazon in Dunstable.

She said: "It's a great privilege for me to lead the team at Amazon in Tilbury. We are a diverse, inclusive team, and I am honoured to take on such an impactful role. When I began my career in the logistics industry, there was a distinct lack of professional female role models for me to look up to. When I found a mentor that supported me to develop as a leader and build my confidence, it was life changing. As general manager at Amazon in Tilbury, I want everyone, and especially women, to feel empowered, and I will encourage the team to challenge the status-quo so that together we can optimise our problem solving through a balanced approach.

"I am hugely proud of what I have achieved in my career so far, and I want to see even more people succeed because of my leadership. Taking on the general manager role is an exciting step, and I hope that this promotion encourages other women to see that the skillsets they possess – like multi-tasking and prioritising – are highly valued in the workplace.

"This year, alongside doubling down on mentorship and getting more involved in the community around Amazon in Tilbury through awareness and engagement, I want to promote the importance of intersectionality to the team so that we can have an even more inclusive and diverse workplace."

Outside work, Ruzanna enjoys spending time with her 12-year-old daughter. The pair go on walks through local parks and decorate their home with their own paint-by-numbers creations. Ruzanna also enjoys horse riding, something she used to take part in competitively. She is currently considering getting involved the sport again after taking a break since moving to the UK.

The Tilbury fulfilment centre has created more than 3,000 permanent jobs and supports the local community through charity and school donations. Some of the causes supported by Amazon in Tilbury include Changing Pathways, Havens Hospice and One Community.