Ian Hawes

I started out in the movie industry as a part time background actor then when Five Star Enterprises closed its doors, I went full time.

I have performed in over 150 different productions. My law enforcement and military backgrounds lends well to roles as a police officer, prison guard and soldier which I am very often cast in. Being a good background performer requires professionalism, good time management, the ability to take direction and great organizational skills. You must also be competent at understanding call sheets and instructions sent from your agent. You need to be familiar with how a movie set works and the health and safety requirements set down to ensure a safe working environment.

Accomplishments

• I was upgraded to Apprentice Union Member after gaining an acting credit on the Flash.
• I have met Bruce Willis and handcuffed him in a scene on Christmas Knights.
• I danced with Annette O'Toole on Virgin River.
• I played Sharon Stone's assistant on Agent X
• I have had continuity roles on Virgin River, Peacemaker, Snowpiercer, Away and the Night Agent.
• I have had predominant roles in two low budget movies - Brother, I Cry and Lost in Dysthymia.

I began my career at Five Star as a Field Sales Agent selling solar, safety and decorative window film solutions to both residential and business client. My job involved booking customer appointments, explaining the benefits of window film, booking the installer and dealing with the subsequent admin work before and after. I was also responsible for collecting payment from the customers. This required an in depth knowledge of window film, good customer relations and the ability to communicate at different levels.

The company then opened up a wholesale distribution warehouse in 2015 and I was promoted to Warehouse Manager. I dealt with the day to day running of the facility including ordering products, shipping and dealing with customer orders (internet, phone and showroom.)

In 2018 I was promoted to General Manager. I was in charge on the day to day running of the office and warehouse. This role involved enhanced operational efficiency and productivity by managing budgets, accounts and costs. Maintaining and building new relationships with larger clients and suppliers. I was also responsible for collecting delinquent debts, all the administration that comes with a distribution centre and managing six staff.

In Dec 2020, Five Star was forced to close down due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Accomplishments

• Established myself from entry level sales to General Manager.
• Streamlining the warehouse process to reduce wastage and error by 35%.
• Increasing overall sales revenue from $60k to over $100k a month.
• Implementing a robust sales software that was able to increase sales, upsell clients and retain their future business.
• Liaising with the owner to prepare a presentation which helped us to win the contract for a very large film supplier contract.

I originally joined as an Assistant Immigration Officer. Tasks included dealing with asylum seekers weekly reporting, removal instructions of failed asylum seekers and refusal entrants, enforcement visits, liaising with other government departments and inputting data onto systems.

I was then promoted to Immigration Officer and I joined the Mobile Response Team. Duties included searching and detecting clandestine activity in freight vehicles around the country and in ports abroad (France and Ireland), boarding ships to perform crew checks and working passport control at different ports and airports around the UK.

I was then seconded to work with a customs team for a year. The function of the team was a mobile detection unit. We performed ship searches (deep rummage), airport, port and harbour visits, coastal surveillance and border checks for smuggled contraband.

The Immigration and Customs Services then united to become the UK Border Agency and I was one of the first officers in the country to become dual trained. I was in a team based in Harwich and daily tasks included targeting incoming traffic for smuggling, searching vehicles and freight for illegal entrants and stripping the vehicle if necessary and passport control. I diversified within the role by becoming a Personal Safety Trainer and a Firearms Make Safe Officer. I left the Agency to relocate to Canada as I have always wanted to live here.

Accomplishments

• Personal Safety Trainer
• Firearms Make Safe Officer
• First Aid at Work Certificate
• Emergency Life Support Instructor
• Ship and Dockside Awareness Course
• Health and Safety Course
• Keeping Children Safe Programme
• Complaints Training
• Counter, Fraud and Corruption Course
• Intelligence Course
• Covert Surveillance Course
• Certificate of recognition for outstanding work during the Olympics

I was in the Territorial Army for 7 years on a part time basis (week nights and weekends).

My role was TeleOp Sys. I was responsible for relaying communications between HQ and soldiers in the field. This involved learning the Tarmagen communications system. I also went through basic training as a combat soldier. During my time with the TA, I was promoted to Lance Corporal.

I had to resign in 2003 when I joined the Border Agency.

Accomplishments

• Promotion to Lance Corporal
• Best in Class for Hand to Hand combat
• Completion of the Tarmagen Communications Course
• Was part of the Team to complete the Three Peaks Challenge within 24 hours

I joined Guardian Direct as a Telesales Insurance Advisor. This role involved quoting customers for car insurance and then converting the quotes into sales. Skills involved overcoming objections, tailoring quotes to customers' specific needs and upselling to optimize the sale. I proved to be very successful at this (often coming in the Top 3 out of 70+ agents).

I then moved into the role of Team Leader. My duties included dealing with escalated customer inquiries, call monitoring to ensure standards were being met, training my team members to improve their sales techniques and also deal with the human resources (shift patterns, holiday rota, sickness etc) for a team of 10 agents. My team were consistently top of the leader board.

I then took a side step into the Training Team. My role involved training new entrants to become Sales Advisors. This involved working with groups of up to 20 new employees at a time. I also wrote and updated training coursed and did on floor coaching around the call centre. I would hold regular workshops for existing staff to hone their techniques and input fresh new ways to optimize sales.

In 2003, the call centre was relocated to India. I was part of the team that implemented the hand over to the new centre.

Accomplishments

• Leadership Development Program
• CIPD One to One and Small Groups Training Certificate
• Licensed Practitioner of Neuro Linguistical Programming
• How to Resolve Customer Complaints Workshop
• Coaching Skills Course
• Leading a Meeting Course
• European Computer Driving License
• Introduction to MS Front Page

This was a very dynamic role in a busy showroom in Tottenham Court Road, London. The job entailed selling personal computers to the general public via the telephone and showroom. The computers could be built to customers specifications, so I would talk through the different options available to them. Due to the volume of sales we generated, the sales staff were also taught how to assemble and test the PC's as well.

Unfortunately, Olympic Technology went into liquidation in July 1996.

Accomplishments

• Salesman of the Month Award 7 times
• Assembling a PC Course

I was fortunate to land a job with a large company on completing my education. My role at British Telecom involved dealing with customers on the telephone to help them with queries regarding their service. If they were moving address, having upgrades to their existing phone system, bill enquiries or cancellation then our department would deal with it. I also scheduled engineers to visit properties to carry out the work. I was also responsible for upselling services such as call waiting, number recognition and call barring.

In June 1992, I left to join Olympic Technology.

Accomplishments

• Dealing with Complaints Course
• Overcoming Objections and Closing Course
• MS Windows and Office Training