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After graduating, I began working for an energy company in customer services, sales and website support. Whilst there are some perks to working within a large company you are somewhat a spoke in a wheel. How refreshing it was to join a company like Northern Flags where you can really make a difference.

I joined Northern Flags three years ago where I began working in internal sales, before moving onto internal sales manager and now I am currently a segment manger working with the construction industry. It's great to be able to deal with such a varied and tangible product. The screen and digital print industry is a very diverse and interesting area to work within, from production, to supply to managing your clients and their expectations every job is like a project in its self. Joining Northern Flags was the best move I made and each day brings new challenges.

Away from work I enjoy many sports particularly watching and playing football, spending time with friends, going to gigs and to relax I enjoy golf (not always relaxing) and I am a keen angler.

Since the age of 16 I've worked within the advertising market, including the newspaper industry and outdoor media, gaining experience in customer service, sales and print. I've gained a lot of experience throughout my time in advertising and the insight I had in print, both screen and digital, only made me want to be involved a lot more.

I joined Northern Flags Ltd in January 2008 and it's proven to be a fantastic move for me. An exciting and competitive product range, a really good atmosphere and great job satisfaction. Every day is totally different, with such a wide client base you never know what your next challenge will be.

What more could you ask for in a career?

Customer satisfaction is paramount to me, if my customer is happy, I'm happy. We are keen to advise clients on what suits their individual needs, not just something that 'will do'.

Away from Northern Flags in 'Hilary's world' it's all about adrenalin rushes, my biggest rush being a 440ft bungee jump in New Zealand which was awesome, and my next big leap is meant to be a sky dive, but I've been saying that for ages now, so watch this space.

I started working in the motor trade at the age of 18 which was a very varied role, which helped me gain experience in customer service and sales.

My position at Northern Flags is also quite varied; my day to day duties include processing customer orders, dealing with queries whatever they may be and general administration duties. I am eager to learn new things within the print industry, so my role at Northern Flags can be evolved even more.

During my short time at Northern Flags, I have noticed immediately the positive atmosphere and great friendly environment it is to work on a day to day basis which makes my job even more enjoyable.

In my spare time, I love to compete on my horse Bramble most weekends especially when the weather is good! I also enjoy keeping fit by going to the gym and swimming as much as possible. I also have a general interest in web design which I am hoping to evolve further into artwork design to help my role at Northern Flags be even more varied and enjoyable.

I have now been in the print industry for over eleven years and during this time I have studied digital print, screen print, and litho print - my clients have provided me with briefs from the standard to the unusual from one colour to full colour process - from matt to glitter and from miniscule to massive. It is this diversity that I find fascinating - every day is varied, every design is different and I love seeing my clients briefs go from ideas to fulfilment.

My role means that I cover a wide range of responsibilities from recruitment to procurement, product and sales training and marketing but I still sell as I believe it is vital that I keep in touch with the changes that take place in our industry - from new technologies and products, our competitors standing and ventures but most importantly I like to fully understand what our clients need today as well as tomorrow.

My career has always been sales focused, but the print industry has been my most fascinating challenge. I had always admired Northern Flags impressive position in the market, riding on the back of it's very powerful brand portfolio and partnership with Faber pro Motion. Being a market leader was one of the key drivers that attracted me to work for Northern Flags.

Last year I joined the "Parent Trap" and I am the proud mother of a beautiful little girl called Megan. Being a mother has reiterated how important it is that every thing is done properly, on time and with attention to detail - I honestly believe that my career in print enabled me to do this with my eyes shut!

Over the last two years Northern Flags has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. I have had the privilege to work with a great bunch of people and have been given the chance to achieve and develop.

I have a great respect and passion for our products and relish working within the culture that exists at Northern Flags.

I have very recently joined Northern Flags after graduating in Media and Popular Culture from Leeds Metropolitan University. I have spent the last 3 years writing and editing for the student newspaper and wanted to develop these skills in a stimulating job, and it was Northern Flags that offered me the chance to do this.

Every day is very varied and offers up new challenges that I am enjoying learning about and trying to keep up with! I am able to develop and learn new skills and I'm really enjoying being involved with this new web-site and learning all about print marketing outside of the classroom!

Having worked for large companies in customer service it is refreshing to come to a company that is so focussed on satisfying the demands of their clients. Northern Flags have a strong foundation of clients that they have great relationships with and really care about.

Outside of work I am adapting to a 9-5 lifestyle. I have a great interest in film and music, hence my academic choices and spend a lot of my time either at gigs or the cinema. I also enjoy reading, writing, socialising with friends and travelling as much as funds allow.

After the birth of my son in 1976 I returned to work in 1978 and have been involved with the flag industry ever since. I joined Northern Flags in 1986 when the 'team' consisted of two people and Sam the dog!

My role within the company has evolved over the years, and in my current position as Commercial Director I am responsible for the administrative side of the business which covers finance, health and safety, quality and HR as the main roles.

When I am not at work, I enjoy reading, watching sport (in particular tennis and cricket) and pottering in the garden. I also enjoy travelling.

Since leaving school I have predominantly worked in accounts, which came in very handy when we emigrated to Ghana, West Africa. My husband went to work with Mitsubishi Motors, after several months I started employment with the British High Commission working in the visa section, this was real eye opener. Yes we even had everything from a visa application who claimed his name was called Immaculate Conception and his parents were Joseph and Mary. It did not take long before I was head hunted by the Canadian High Commission to head up their Mission Accounts Team.

After 3 years we returned to UK and since I have had two children, Aaron and Leah who are now teenagers and of course head of the house, they keep me very busy after work with their very full social calendars and the running of "The Dooler Hotel" for their friends!

I have worked at Northern Flags since February 2006, when I originally started they were unable to give me a job description due to the unknown direction of the job, which did not phase me because I quickly adapted to their culture. My first task was assisting with setting up of the new accounts and sales processing computerised system, after this I then went on to assist the sales team with sales ordering processing, which I really enjoyed. In April this year I was approached about the accounts vacancy, which I considered and started in May. Due to the different aspect of employment with Northern Flags I have learnt the ethos behind the business and the print industry and feel my portfolio has increased immensely.

Having spent the first 17 years of my working life in the motor industry I have often been asked why I became involved in the flag business. I have to admit it was not planned but was just an accident of fate. It was the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 when I started a small flag company in Cambridgeshire which to this day is one of the formidable flag businesses in the UK.

In 1986, I found the courage and incentive to start Northern Flags - and that was the beginning of an incredible story. It's probably ironic that having now nearly reached retirement age, I probably enjoy coming to work more than ever before.

Of course, I am very lucky to have a great bunch of people who espouse the same values that I cherish plus a unique relationship with Europe's most advanced textile printer, which is a major shareholder.

For me success is simply a matter of fulfilling people's needs and even better if we can exceed those needs.