Siobhan Easterbrook: From the skies to shrink-wrap, a journey of adaptability

Siobhan Easterbrook’s career has been anything but conventional. From travelling the world as a long-haul air hostess to taking on a demanding role in education, her experiences have helped her to become a highly adaptable and organised professional.

Now, as Tufcoat’s Business Administrator, Siobhan is central to ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. Her role touches every corner of the business, from customer enquiries to stock management, and she’s quickly become an integral part of the team.

In this Q&A, we delve deeper into Siobhan’s career journey, her role at Tufcoat, and how she balances her responsibilities at work with life outside the office.

Tell us a bit about your background. Have you always worked in business administration?

Before joining Tufcoat, I was an air hostess for 13 years, working with Virgin Atlantic on long-haul flights. I absolutely loved the travel and customer service side of things, but after having my children, juggling that lifestyle with my husband’s military career became challenging. Relocating to Plymouth also meant we didn’t have a family support network nearby, so I needed to find a more stable role and be at home for my children. I moved into education, working in a safeguarding role at a school for six years before joining Tufcoat.

What kind of experience did you bring to the business?

I’ve always worked in customer-facing roles, so I bring a strong customer service focus. Responding to customer enquiries, I ensure smooth and friendly interaction. I’m used to dealing with all types of people.

I also think the organisational skills I gained in my previous roles have helped me to keep things on track here, especially getting to know customer requirements, understanding our customers businesses and understanding how we can benefit their projects more.

Can you describe your main responsibilities and a typical day at Tufcoat?

My main responsibility is primarily focusing on our wholesale customers. I’m usually the first voice a caller hears, and it’s afforded me the opportunity to build a strong knowledge of our client base quickly. This has been helpful in understanding their projects and requirements, and I can pass this knowledge to the rest of the team.

What do you enjoy about working at Tufcoat?

I love the interaction with customers, but the best part is how family-oriented the company is. Barry and the team are very understanding when it comes to balancing work and family life. With my husband in the military and often away, the flexibility Tufcoat offers has been invaluable. It’s a small, close-knit team, and I really appreciate the sense of community here.

What about life outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?

Life outside work is hectic. With two boys heavily involved in football matches and training five days a week, managing the household while my husband’s away on military service, and recently buying a house, there’s not much downtime. When I get a moment,  I like to take the dog for a walk. It’s hard to find much time for hobbies with how busy life is, but spending time with my family is always my priority.

As an air hostess, I travelled extensively worldwide on long-haul flights. Cape Town, Boston, and Las Vegas were among my favourite destinations, and I’ve had some fantastic experiences, including visiting the Taj Mahal during layovers. While I’ve seen much of the world, I’d like to explore Europe, particularly Italy and Norway – when time permits!