Wave Refrigeration – The Next Generation

In 2020, WAVE Refrigeration formed an EOT. WAVE provide independent and impartial refrigeration design, project support and technical trouble shooting to blue chip retailers and distributors including ALDI, ASDA, Bidfood, the Co-op and Sainsbury’s. Operating throughout the UK, with a regional office in Trivandrum, India, the company has expertise in refrigeration and wider building services in convenience retail, supermarkets, and industrial cooling applications. With a view to further improve culture and a strong team ethos at the heart of how they operate, the transition to employee-ownership was a natural one.

Demonstrating the positive impact of their EOT, WAVE rank number 1 out of 155 IIP (Investors in People) accredited business who operate in the construction sector. For WAVE, IIP is the perfect benchmark for measuring the two most important facets of a successful EO business: Organisational Culture and Leadership.

WAVE has invested in recruiting at least one trainee every year. The success of its training programme, known as the ‘Next Generation’, is unparalleled in the refrigeration industry – with the company earning recognition and awards. Their EO Champions are their young people, those who are the future of business leadership and economic success.

The leadership and wider team at WAVE recognise that the Next Generation of workers will emerge from the pandemic with a huge diversity of ideas, thoughts, and reflections. Whether young people are scared or raring to go, they will understand the attractive proposition that EO organisations represent and the synergy they have with stakeholder capitalist movement. This has inspired WAVE to further empower younger employees – the Next Generation.

The businesses first employee to benefit from the training programme, Sam Cameron, was promoted to Engineering Manager; another former trainee, Ellie Clare, took on additional responsibility in her role as Operations Manager. Promotion and delegating further responsibility, has allowed the leadership at team to attract new customers, such as Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and Bidfood to their portfolio of clients.

The younger members of WAVE prosper through a defined pathway to promotion and making a difference within the EO. The effort and passion that they display make them all true EO champions! WAVE’s Next Generation consists of:

  • Sam Cameron
  • Ellie Clare
  • Gokul Divakaran
  • Akhil Dev
  • Jack Brockbank
  • Caitlin Earle
  • Chris Parker
  • Sivadas U Pillai
  • Nandu Kumar

Away from learning and contributing to the business, the Next Generation at WAVE spearhead its continuous beyond-the-bottom-line initiative, ‘WAVE and SDGs’, based on a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations. Twice a year, WAVE report back to industry, local and wider communities to display their SDG achievements – positively impacting business culture and earning praise from customers. Though this initiative is intangible when it comes to company turnover and profit, it identifies that WAVE are in alliance with society, the environment, and engagement of their young people. In 18-months, as part of their SDG programme, WAVE have:

  • Participated in beach clean-ups.
  • Provided financial support for the construction of a fresh water well for a family in India.
  • Sponsored the Keighley Cougars NHS rugby kit, with profits donated to the NHS.
  • Purchased reading books for the children of Glusburn Primary School.
  • Gokul Divakaran has been volunteering with the Global Shapers Community Trivandrum hub, a fantastic global network of young adults, who work to address local and global issues.
  • Alongside Akhil, Sivadas and Nandu, Gokul has helped support the COVID-19 outbreak in India through the financial support of WAVE to purchase COVID-19 PPE for the National Health Mission (NHM) office in India.
  • Caitlin Earle has participated in the STEMazing inspiration academy, where she has delivered STEM sessions to primary school children via Zoom! The STEMazing inspiration academy is focusing on women in STEM and promoting visibility.
  • Led by Sam Cameron and Caitlin Earle, five WAVE team members, in partnership with the local Parish Council spent a day refurbishing a shelter in Glusburn Park. Though it was a tall order to complete all the works in one day, the team at WAVE worked together like a well-oiled machine!
  • Gokul, Akhil, Sivadas and Nandu have collaborated with H2O Helping Hands charity, non-profit charity in Trivandrum India which focuses on underprivileged children with autism and other learning and behavioural difficulties. WAVE have provided funds to create small vegetable patches at homes of 6 children; whilst Gokul, Akhil, Sivadas and Nandu will also be assisting with the physical works involved with building the patches!
  • Away from the Next Generation, WAVE is also thrilled with the leadership and inspiration provided by experienced Project Consultant and WAVE EOT employee trust director Nick Antill. For Nick, the COVID-19 pandemic hit to close to home with the loss of a family member that prompted both him and his wife Vikkii to volunteer at a local mass vaccination centre in Leicester. The team at WAVE are extremely proud of how Nick leads by example!

 

While the team at WAVE are all in it together, it is younger people who will be responsible for future economic success in the UK. For this reason, the team at WAVE considers its Next Generation as true EO champions!