Meet Dawne McClelland, Our National Service Centre Manager

We sat down with Dawne to hear more about her journey so far, what drew her to Cleveland, and how she plans to use her experience to build strong teams, improve service, and support the business through its next phase of growth.

Would you like to run through work history/background?

I’ve been in the industry for over 25 years. I started out as a hire controller with a RB Farquhar based in Warrington and then I moved to GE Capital where I progressed into a business development role covering both internal and external sales. After relocating from Warrington to Teesside in the early 2000s, I became a branch manager at Ravenstock, which throughout the years went through several acquisitions. Each transition brought change, new systems, and opportunities to lead and adapt. When the opportunity at Cleveland came up, it felt like the perfect next chapter.

What brought you to Cleveland?

Cleveland had a strong presence in the industry - I was constantly hearing about them. When a position became available, I was ready for something new, and I wanted to be part of a company that was really making a name for itself. The culture here is fantastic. From day one, the people have been incredibly welcoming and passionate about what they want Cleveland to achieve.

Before starting, I visited head office to meet the team and have a tour of the place. I already knew several familiar faces from my previous company, which made the transition smooth and exciting. I didn’t get those first day nerves which you probably would do when starting a new job after such a long time.

What does your role involve and who will you be working with?

I manage the hire desk and customer service teams, focusing on streamlining operations, improving communication, and reintroducing clear processes. 

Cleveland have experience rapid expansion, which is impressive, but it’s meant that departments have often had to work things out along the way. I’m stripping things back and rebuilding from the ground up, to revamp task management and set a solid foundation for growth.

I also liaise with our external depots to ensure stock availability and readiness for quick turnarounds. That includes a lot of coordination with ops teams to ensure everything’s aligned for smooth service delivery.

What do you enjoy about working at Cleveland so far?

It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s genuinely the people. Everyone is receptive and supportive of suggestions, which makes improvements much easier to implement. I also enjoy refining processes - not reinventing the wheel but tweaking what’s there to get the best out of the team. There's a real culture of doing what we say we’ll do here. We have our six company values displayed on our walls and they’re not meaningless, you can honestly feel them imbedded in the people and within the working environment.

What would you like to achieve here?

My focus is on developing the team - helping people grow into their roles and feel empowered to progress. I’m also focused on improving customer service across the board. We’ve built an Opportunities for Improvement (OFI) leaderboard to encourage ideas from all departments and reward innovation that enhances internal processes and the customer experience.

We’re also expanding our ops team, with service engineer coverage in both the North and South. That’s drastically improved turnaround times for servicing and potential breakdowns - sometimes even meeting the customer’s requirements within the same day. It’s all about getting it right the first time and making it easier for our customers. It’s fantastic that we now have greater flexibility to meet their needs and improve response time.

Can you tell us a bit more about yourself outside of work?

Before settling in the North East, I did a lot of travelling, visiting places like Peru, Thailand, and India. Machu Picchu was a favourite destination of mine. These days, I enjoy staycations and exploring the North East coast.

A lot of my time is spent with my 12-year-son son, Max, and our 9-month-old cockapoo, Erwin. I never thought I’d be a dog person, especially with my allergy to dogs, but I absolutely adore him. I also love attending horseracing events at local racecourses like Sedgefield, Ripon, Thirsk, Redcar, and York.

Thanks to Dawne for sharing her journey and vision - her leadership is already making an impact across Cleveland’s operations and customer service experience.