Spotlight On: Jade Whyte, Project Manager for Business

Jade Whyte, Project Manager for Business at Dennis Eagle

1. Hi Jade, thanks for taking the time to chat as part of this month’s spotlight. Could you tell us how long you’ve been at Dennis Eagle and what your role is?

Hello, very happy to be involved. I have been with Dennis Eagle now for three and a half years in various roles and locations. I’m currently our Project Manager for Business.

2. How would you describe your role in three words?

My role is rewarding, mainly due to the transformative changes I’m able to help implement across the business, but also because of the many internal and external relationships I’ve built during my time here. It’s also challenging, because although it’s a bit of a cliché to say it, my role is different every single day. There are a lot of moving parts to consider and business decisions that need to be made, all while ensuring everyone is on the same page. Finally, I’d say it was dynamic – things move really fast and can change on the hour. I’ve had to learn to adjust and pivot very quickly for this reason. It keeps me on my toes!

3. What are some of your key responsibilities? 

A core part of my role is aligning our wider group, Terberg Environmental’s objectives with those of Dennis Eagle. A lot of this involves business protection, IT-related transformation, and business operational improvements. An essential aspect of this is ensuring employee needs are always met when we take on a new project. Ultimately, I want to make sure we’re delivering the best possible solutions for the business while minimising the organisational impact of this.

I’m also largely involved in continuous improvement with regards to our processes and often lead projects that support this across our different sites. This also feeds into shaping cultural change within the business; working to positively communicate the projects coming down the line to our people by identifying the advantages each change will make possible.

4. What did you do before becoming our Project Manager for Business?

Prior to joining Dennis Eagle, I spent the early part of my career working for a different vehicle manufacturer which specialised in trailer technology. I then became a Material and Sourcing Specialist with the UK’s leading extraction systems expert. From there, I joined Jaguar Land Rover as a Senior Buyer, where I stayed for a year until I noticed an opportunity arise at Dennis Eagle.

I initially came into the business as a Strategic Sourcing Manager within our Purchasing department for our North America operations at the time. I was really looking for the opportunity to travel and potentially move to the US at this stage, so the role was perfect. This involved building and strengthening our supplier partnerships within the American market and leading a small team of buyers to support our operations. After a year, I became the Project Manager for localising the US business, which meant I was on the ground at the site in South Carolina leading change management while still overseeing our fabrication commodities and delivering vehicle initiatives within the UK.  

In July last year, I moved back to our UK site and later stepped into my current role, after helping manage the shutdown of the North America business. Suffice to say, I’ve been busy over the past three years! I’ve been very fortunate with opportunities at Dennis Eagle, as my skillset largely means the business can more or less place me wherever I can be of the greatest support. I thrive on chaos, so while it’s been a lot, it’s also been incredibly rewarding.

5. Why did you decide to join Dennis Eagle and what makes you want to stay? 

The opportunity to work in the US was a big appeal at the time. At that point in my career, I was looking for a different environment that would enable me to grow and expand my skills. It was actually my previous manager at JLR who found the role at Dennis Eagle for me, and it felt like the ideal next step. The position was highly diverse and offered a lot of scope for change and development – exactly what I’d been waiting for.

6. What is your favourite thing about working at Dennis Eagle? 

The business is so broad and varied, it opens up a lot of doors. I’m extremely ambitious, and because Dennis Eagle recognises the effort people put into their roles, it’s supported me throughout to develop and pursue my own professional goals.

7. What is your proudest achievement so far?  

I would say the relationships I’ve managed to build across the many different functions that exist within the organisation. I’ve gained a lot of respect and trust from my peers, the Board, and our Senior Leadership Team in the time I’ve been with the business, and my confidence has grown considerably as a result.

8. Do you have any specific goals or ambitions for the future of your role? 

Within the next 12 months, I’d love to see through the delivery of a pretty big internal solution which will offer huge benefits across the whole business. I’d really like to hope I’ll do everyone proud with the success of this.

I also have a personal goal within the next 12 months – to have an operation to fix my currently fractured spine and finally be able to run the marathon I’ve been trying to complete for the past two years!

9.  Final question: who are you outside of work?  

Outside of work, I love to travel as much as I can with my partner and our 6-year-old Pomeranian. I’m very much into fitness, so you’ll often find me hiking mountains, running marathons (eventually!), and doing Hyrox competitions. I’m also a keen boxer and use this to keep both my mind and body fit and active. Work Jade and home Jade are very different people, but one thing we do share is a passion for achieving personal and professional goals.