Richard Lamb

Lead Service Manager

Richard is proof that you don’t need to be a computer anorak in order to become a rising star in IT.  He signed up for the Tesco.com graduate programme after gaining a degree in economics from the University of Bristol. After placements in marketing and non-food operations, he settled down in what became Direct Operations Development, where he spent two years, the first preparing for the launch of Tesco Direct, the second trying to improve processes.

Richard’s move to IT was motivated not so much by a love of computers, but by a desire to motivate and manage people.  After getting up to speed with the technical side, he has spent time running day-to-day operations, making the IT section more customer focused and improving our overall vision. One of his key challenges has been trying to explain to stakeholders in other parts of the business just how important IT is. Recently, he has been involved in setting up a 24-hour support centre at the HSC in India, meaning stores and fulfilment centres will have an IT information service on which they can call at any time of the day or night. 

Richard is really impressed with the opportunity to get on at Tesco.com. He thinks there aren’t many companies where someone not really experienced in computing could become an IT manager. He feels he has been helped by his good personal skills, an ability to get things done and a certain amount of tenacity. He advises people to come in with an open mind, as what people want might change after a year or so.

Richard says: "Be confident enough to drive your career, there are lots of opportunities to get on, as long as you drive it yourself the opportunities will be there."