Born into the Webster’s of Blackness butcher dynasty, I have spent the majority of my life in Dundee. I was educated, use that word loosely, at Menzieshill High School before a brief foray into the world of greenkeeping at Cupar College. I soon found out that a greenkeepers day starts at 4am and swiftly decided that wasn’t for me…
The day-to-day operations of a business was always something that intrigued me however. Having worked, again use that word loosely, at the Swallow Hotel from the age of 14 ‘til I was 20 yrs old, I had accumulated an array of skills from the various departments I worked in and the managers I worked for. I think this was part of the reason I decided upon studying for an Accountancy qualification at Abertay University. This I achieved, with Honours, in 2004.
Shortly before graduating I was offered the Trainee Sales Executive position at Audi Perth; with the security a degree in Accountancy offers behind me and having spent 4 yrs staring at ledger paper, I jumped at the chance to work in a front of house position with direct interaction with the public. The trouble with working in Perth is you just can’t get a good breakfast roll that far West!
After an enjoyable and insightful 18months with Audi I felt the need for change, not just in my career but in my life; it was time to get out of Dundee and see a bit of the world. So my now wife, Susan, and I went to Perth….Australia! Now their breakfast baps weren’t bad as I recall but I had my eye on a different kind of bap! We made some great friends and had such an amazing experience travelling around Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia that on our return to the UK we made the decision to visit our new chum in the delightful ski resort of Chamonix where we spent the rest of the season.
On our return to Dundee, now broke but with a great tan, I was financially forced into taking a retail position with Next. This turned out to be a good move and again I was soon on the trainee Sales Manager scheme and learning the ropes of yet another industry. Their approach to customer service and the level of time, effort and attention to detail they paid to ensure the customer’s satisfaction had a massive impact on me.
Alas it wasn’t to be, with Next cutting expenditure I took the opportunity to join the team at Clark’s Bakery in 2013. Instantly I felt at home, I could relate to the family business ethic as well as the drive and ambition of the father and son team. I knew this was the right move.
I have spent the last two and a half years learning every aspect of the operation and have loved every minute of it; the variety of people and jobs and cakes makes the day fly by!
I am extremely grateful to Alan and Jonathon for the opportunity and am looking forward to working with them for many more years.
Son of a butcher to preferred son of a baker, I’ll make someone’s Dad proud!
THE BUTCHER – David Webster
