The Manufacturer Top 100 2023 ‘Exemplar’ leadership win for ASG TGM’s Sarah Stephens

We’re really pleased to announce that ASG TGM Managing Director, Sarah Stephens has been recognised as an exemplar leader in The Manufacturer 2023 ‘Top 100’ Awards. Sarah’s achievements deserve this recognition and serves as inspiration to the wider ASG Group and other women in the manufacturing sector. So what was the greatest challenge in Sarah’s career which serves as the backdrop for this nomination?

“COVID was a real challenge for us as a business. We do a lot of air framework for Airbus which accounts for around 80-90% of our work. That pretty much dried up over the pandemic. We were lucky that we had a defence package for Leonardo Helicopters which saw us through but many suppliers in the sector were not so lucky. We’re finding now that the businesses that were able to survive and have the support and finance to cover that lull in sales, are now thriving and are successful” comments Sarah.

“Personally, the growth I’ve made from starting from the bottom and progressing to managing the business, still seems strange. When people ask me what I do, I say I work for an engineering firm. It’s only then that my husband chips in and tells them that I actually run the place. In the last two or three years, we’ve built up a really good team within TGM. And everyone has their own suite of skills”, she continues.

The journey has not been easy as the UK manufacturing sector continues to lament the shortage of young engineers coming in to working age, something Sarah is all too aware of. “Schools seems to promote university and further education, but that’s not right for everyone. Apprenticeships should be spoken about a lot more within schools and colleges as you can train and learn without putting yourself in a pile of debt.” Indeed ASG TGM intends to embody this commitment and is busy planning a newly designed apprenticeship programme ready for 2024.

On receiving this award; Sarah commented; “It’s nice to be recognised and it’s obviously a big boost for the team. We know we are doing a good job, but it’s great to be told. It’s easy to get into the grind of working every day; just getting on with the problem at hand.”

ASG Group Managing Director, Simon Weston summarises; “Its no surprise to us that Sarah's achievements at ASG TGM have gained national recognition; the work they were able to deliver under pressure of lockdown for Leonardo Helicopters was crucial to the survival of the UK supply chain and her humility and leadership in the firm's continued success does her great credit.”

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