CitySprint appoints new People Director and Chief Operating Officer to strengthen senior leadership team

CitySprint – the UK’s largest same day delivery company – has strengthened its management team with the announcement of two new positions within the business. The promotion of Mark Footman to Chief Operating Officer and appointment of Sarah Gibbs as CitySprint’s first People Director, has bolstered its senior leadership team as it continues its significant growth agenda.

In her new role, Gibbs will be responsible for driving CitySprint’s people strategy and experience to support this growth. The new role highlights CitySprint’s ongoing investment in its people as part of its growth strategy. Meanwhile, Footman is tasked with directly managing end-to-end operations, fleet and property, to ensure that high service levels are maintained, and the core values of the company are delivered in the 30+ service centres across its UK network. His promotion from Operations Director follows an impressive 9 months within the organisation which has seen further operational improvement despite the challenges posed from COVID.

Both Gibbs and Footman join Darren Taylor, Rosie Bailey, David Williams and Mike Timlett on the Operating Board to drive profitable growth within the company. This diverse mix of long standing CitySprint knowledge and experience of delivering growth provides the right balance to execute the next phase of CitySprint’s growth strategy.

Commenting on the appointments Gary West, CEO at CitySprint, said: “I am extremely proud of the changes we have made across our business over the last twelve months, as we adapted rapidly to meet the changing needs of our customers, during what has been an extraordinary year of demand for our services. It is vital that we have the right people on board to drive us forward, particularly as we look towards 2021. Both Sarah and Mark have proven skills and diverse experience in the sector and will be invaluable assets to our team.”

Sarah Gibbs joins CitySprint with over twenty years’ experience in multi sector, strategic and operational environments. Sarah has held senior positions at National Car Parks Limited, Majestic Wine and Yodel where she has successfully supported the strategic development of the company through their people agenda.

Commenting on her appointment, Sarah Gibbs said: “I’m delighted to be joining an organisation that leads the field in its sector and works with such a varied mix of customers. I cannot wait to see what possibilities lie ahead – not just for me personally, but for CitySprint as a business. I’m excited to be supporting the growth of our talented team, in a company that’s firmly dedicated to driving excellence in its people operations.”

Mark joined CitySprint in March 2020 with over 30 years’ experience across multiple sectors, previously having held board and executive level positions with a remit for Operations, Supply Chain & Logistics, Property and Store Development and has extensive experience in managing large scale change programmes in small and large companies.

Commenting on his promotion, Mark Footman said: “After nine months in the business, I know first-hand how much work has been put in to consistently deliver high performance in this unprecedented year. Everyone at CitySprint is working hard to provide customers, both large and small in all kinds of industries and sectors with a seamless, top-tier service.”

As the UK’s largest privately-owned same day distribution company, CitySprint provides an extensive portfolio of delivery services including same day and international deliveries. With a regional network of 30+ service centres across the UK serviced by a fleet of over 5,000 vehicles, CitySprint is able to reach over 88% of mainland UK within 60 minutes.

It works directly with individuals to handle their delivery needs, as well as businesses in every part of the economy, and the breadth of organisations across the public sector. Its long-established specialist healthcare business is helping support the national effort to contain coronavirus through the secure delivery of testing kits and samples, as well as the movement of essential healthcare supplies and PPE.