Vote 100

Her positivity and ability to bring colleagues together are just two reasons why procurement manager Galia Summers has been nominated for our Vote 100 campaign.

Procurement manager – Logistics, Jessica Jones, said: ‘Galia is an integral part of everything good that we work towards in Group procurement. She is a continuous advocate of charity work and she runs a number of fundraising events every year.

‘Galia is one of our most vibrant members enabling our team culture through her positivity and engagement. This positivity and passion for participation tracks through to her day-to-day work and how I have seen her interact with her direct reports and many others.’

Galia has worked at Royal Mail for just over three years as a procurement manager, supporting professional and corporate services procurement. She is currently studying for her Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) qualification through Royal Mail, and has to date, completed 13 out of 15 exams.

‘I work four days a week because I juggle my day job with my home life, raising three young children - arguably an even greater challenge!’ said Galia. ‘I’m proud to say that I was one of the first part-time workers in procurement and since joining the business, I’ve noticed a culture shift with others in the team following suit as Royal Mail becomes a more flexible employer.

‘A key element of my role involves working with stakeholders around the business to help them manage their contracts and look for opportunities to deliver greater value for the organisation. This may involve running a competitive tender or simply negotiating directly with a supplier with whom we may have a strategic partnership, to look for added value opportunities that they can provide us.

‘When I joined Royal Mail, I wanted to create an event that would bring different teams together because I felt that a lot of people were working in silos and there wasn’t much opportunity to network with each other outside of day-to-day work. As a result of this, the Big Quiz was born, bringing suppliers and in-house teams together to pit their wits against each other all in the name of raising as much money as possible for our charity of the year. Our team organised this for two years before we handed the baton over to newer team members who managed to raise a phenomenal amount this year.

‘Another area I’ve recently become involved is in the culture change team. I felt that in order to create a more friendly environment around the Finance town hall sessions it would be great to run networking sessions afterwards for colleagues to meet each other and learn what other teams are working on. So far, the first set of sessions was really successful, with others planned over the coming months.

‘I feel surprised and honoured to be recognised. It’s lovely to know that what I’m doing is having a positive impact on people. I strongly believe that the key to culture change in an organisation begins with the small changes we can all make day-to-day within our teams and local environments - changes that can then hopefully filter out into the wider Royal Mail setting.’  

Vote 100

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Our Vote 100 campaign is your chance to help us showcase the enormous contribution Royal Mail women make each and every day both to colleagues and customers, ensuring we remain the UK’s most trusted postal operator.

If there is someone in your workplace who you admire for their outstanding work ethic, their drive to improve their own and others’ skills, their knack for supporting or mentoring others, showing kindness, overcoming obstacles, or influencing positive behaviour – we want to hear from you!

Please send your name and contact details plus the name of the colleague you wish to nominate and your reasons for doing so, to vote100@royalmail.com. We will then be in touch to obtain further details.