Voices of TBAuctions: Teamwork and Growth
Welcome to Voices of TBAuctions, an interview series spotlighting the people behind Europe’s leading multi-brand B2B digital auction platform. Through candid conversations with our leaders and team members, we explore who they are, their experiences, insights, and the passion that drives our success.
We are excited to highlight Craig Asghar, Head of Operations at British Medical Auctions (BMA), a brand part of TBAuctions. You can watch the video above or, if you prefer, read the full interview below!
What do you enjoy most about working at BMA?
I have been working here for about four and a half years now. My love for BMA is really centered around the people I work with now. It is a great team. We have some motivated, enthusiastic people within the team. We all get on, which is excellent. It’s good to be around my colleagues. I know we often talk about families, but this is genuinely the BMA family. We are a close team, which is a great advantage. We all know each other sociably. And the part that I really like now is that we have a lot of new young people coming into the business, and I am just seeing them flourish, and I can help with that. And that’s where I get my joy from.
What does a typical day in operations look like for you?
My typical day involves touching base with my auction supervisor, Dan. We meet over tea around 7:30, quarter to 8, to review the items arriving, the goods coming in, and the stock from the sales team that’s on the way. This way, we are ready to put the items up for auction. We will then move on to the other supervisors who come into the warehouse and the office, including the OPS supervisor, Charlie. We ensure that we are prepared for the day and the week ahead. Once we have done that, I will review the space in the warehouse and the processes downstairs. Are we ready? Do we have enough room to store the equipment and get the production line going? I also take into account factors such as hazardous materials, battery recycling, X-rays, and the exposures we encounter within the warehouse. I have to ensure that we are working within the risk assessments for that. And, of course, we then typically have meetings with project teams. I also enjoy visiting the warehouse. Working closely with my team is paramount for me. I will certainly go down and clean the floors with the floor cleaner. A bit of a joke here that my housekeeping is essential to me.
What qualities or skills make someone a good fit for BMA’s operations?
Team player number one, we are a small team that relies on each other. Everybody is self-motivated. You have to be prepared to come in and roll up your sleeves when needed. And I look for people who are driven. I generally want people to join the firm and then find themselves in different roles as we progress – a firm believer in finding strengths within our team. You may join as a driver, and as we have staff who have started as drivers and then transitioned into various roles, such as the data room. So I look for what strengths we actually have within the team. So yeah, motivated, keen, and proactive.
What hobby or interest brings you the most joy these days?
I am lucky enough to have two sons. I have Joshua and Oliver, who are 14 and 10, so I have always been involved in a lot of sports. However, I am reaching an age now where most of my sports enjoyment comes through my sons. So, they are keen golfers and play a lot of football, so my weekends are taken up with ferrying them to all the different events. The thing I really enjoy here is that we play Paddle, along with Marcus, Matt, the sales teams, and some of the guys in Operations. That’s every Thursday night, when we go and have a social event, and that’s what I enjoy.
What advice would you give to someone new joining the BMA team?
We should not just employ somebody and expect them to find their own way around. I am keen to ensure that they spend time with other departments. I actually joined BMA after retiring from my first career. I joined BMA as a van driver. That was something that I wanted to do. I then progressed to working in the warehouse, and subsequently became a BI relationships manager, eventually rising to the position of head of operations. If you are going to make decisions for a company. You should be familiar with the company’s activities. It is the number one rule for me. So I can hold my head up high when I go downstairs and know and understand what everybody’s trying to achieve. And when they come to me with ideas, I have a good idea whether or not, you know, that’s the way we should be moving. So, my advice to anyone is to ensure you understand what all the other departments do, because it is like a mechanical system with many cogs; however, you need to know how that works in the future.
Looking ahead, what are you most looking forward to achieving in your role?
For me I get the kick out of seeing new people enter the workforce, and I like to think that I help them find themselves and encourage them to reach their true potential. That’s where I will continue to build my teams. Teams are great. I only know teams, and that’s all I have ever worked. I have never been self-employed. It’s all for me. If my teams are working well and we’re achieving, that’s the reward for me.
