Meet the Team!

This week on our Meet the Team feature we have our B2B Key Account Manager, Chris!

Chris has been a valued part of The Cheeky Panda for over 3 years now and has been a huge contributor to the Cheeky Panda's success in recent years! We sat down with Chris to ask all the important questions about his role, life at The Cheeky Panda and what he gets up to when he's not selling straws, so without further ado, let's get into it! 

Tell us about your role at The Cheeky Panda and why it is important. 

I manage the UK B2B (Business to Business) Key Accounts. So I account manage our biggest distributors within Hospitality, Public Sector and FM Cleaning. This includes brand/product training, distributor pricing, supporting them with samples, literature for them to take to their customers and also supporting where needed with joint meetings with their customers to talk in depth about The Cheeky Panda as a company, what we do and our range.

The role is important because it helps distributors within B2B drive awareness around sustainability within all of our work walks of life to create a better future for our environment.

What are your proudest achievements, both in and out of the workplace? 

My proudest achievement in life is an easy one, it is bringing both of my beautiful children into the world. They make me proud everyday with all of their achievements.

My proudest achievement within The Cheeky Panda has to be joining the business and being told the range of straws is now your baby to push, at the time we had no brochure and no clients it was a completely clean slate, this year we will do over 140 pallets of straws across the straw range alone.

What advice would you give to anybody looking to get into sales?

I would say if you are somebody that loves to socialise, talk and listen to people and you have a great personality then sales can take you a long way in life.

Do not ever try to copy someone else’s style of selling, there is no handbook in sales just be yourself and do what others aren’t doing to stand out, network as much as you can, don’t burn bridges along the way and do what you say you are going to do.

Once you win someone’s heart, mind, loyalty and trust they will be a customer for life.

What is the best part about working for The Cheeky Panda?

You get to sell a fantastic product to customers that you know will make a difference to the environment along the way.

What is your favourite Cheeky Panda product and why? 

This is a tough one as they are all superb, but I have to say I have 2, naturally because I have done so much work on them the straws are superb, they are hugely sustainable being made from bamboo pulp but they are also REALLY durable once they are in drinks, for me the best straw on the market.

Secondly the cube tissues, there is nothing worse than sneezing into a thin tissue that disintegrates in front of you leaving you with yucky hands! Ours are really soft on your skin and also 3ply so of a great quality and thickness.

The final question before we let you go, what is your favourite thing to do in your spare time?

My biggest passion is football, I have always loved it from a young age. I actually play/manage a vets team (over 35yr’s) that I formed back in 2020 and have had 3 back to back promotions so now play in the Norfolk Vets Premiership playing against some ex professionals.

I follow 3 teams (I know some will say there should only one!) but I was born in Cambridge so follow Cambridge United, have lived in Norfolk most of my life so follow Norwich City and was brought up by my step dad going to Old Trafford every home game when I was young through the United East Anglia supporters club so also follow Manchester United.

Who should we feature next? Let us know in the comments below!