In the cathedral city of Peterborough lies Amazon fulfilment centre EUK5. The site is the size of seven football pitches and notably, it is the only Amazon fulfilment centre in the UK not to be named after its local airport.
In 2011, just less than a year after the opening of the fulfilment centre, Ieva Rubina joined the EUK5 team. Ieva works as a problem solver resolving any issues with products, such as damaged to items, so that the teams picking, packing and stowing can concentrate on delivering for customers.
“Amazon is like an adventure book for me, which I picked up from the shelf eight years ago as a 20-year-old girl with only a few pounds in my pocket. As in all good stories, there have been ups and downs but Amazon gave me the confidence I was lacking,” said Ieva.
As part of a programme called ‘I Found the Right Place’ Amazon invited employees from fulfilment centres across the UK to explain what they like best about working at Amazon and why it is the right place for them. More than 800 employees from across the UK and dozens from each site put pen to paper.
In her entry to the programme, Ieva wrote “My first manager challenged me to become an ambassador. I didn’t have the confidence to do it but he pushed me to face my fears and grow and I am so glad he did as becoming an ambassador was one of the best decisions I have ever made!”
All of the entries were anonymised and the best entry from each fulfilment centre was chosen. The chosen employees were invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to Seattle, U.S., to explore the Amazon head office and see where it all started.
During the five-day trip to Seattle, Ieva and Amazon colleagues from sites across the UK were shown around the city and enjoyed a trip up the Space Needle. They also went on a tour of the Amazon campus and the robotics fulfilment centre in Kent, Washington, where they met Amazon’s chief scientist.
“Being able to tick visiting Seattle off my bucket list has been great and meeting so many like-minded people was the highlight of the trip for me,” said Ieva.
With a message to potential Amazon candidates, Ieva said “Amazon was there for me when I became a mum and helped me to find the best way to manage time for work and my family. This was and still is the right place for me!”
