Rebecca Galley: From unsure teenager to confident CEO

After doing well in her A-Levels, getting a job was proving surprisingly difficult for Rebecca Galley, who didn’t really know what she wanted from a career after leaving school. Deterred from university by the burdensome student loan system, a dozen unsuccessful job interviews followed. Rebecca decided she’d had enough. Her forthright response to an interviewer at Brookhouse Aerospace proved the first step on a career path that would eventually lead to the CEO’s office.

“I said if no one gives me a job, how will I ever get any experience? He gave me the job…and I’m forever grateful to him.”

Rebecca spent 12 months as an estimator before leaving the company to work in  a better-paying telesales role, selling PPE for a business owned by construction products distribution giant SIG. Within a year, she was leading a team of 12, aged just 21.

“Luckily, I had a great mentor who helped me learn how to manage people. It was my introduction to leadership, which is essentially what I’ve been doing ever since.”

After progressing through commercial and management roles, Rebecca was given the opportunity to turn around an underperforming SIG tooling business in 2011. In just three years, the team had transformed its fortunes. At the same time, the business subsequently sponsored her degree at Warwick University Business School, with Rebecca writing her dissertation on business turnarounds.

Further operational transformation followed at Cromwell Tools, before she gained her first managing director role at hydraulic hose manufacturer Hydroscand in 2019. Brexit and Covid presented formidable challenges, but she describes the five years as a brilliant experience.

Now CEO of wire fencing manufacturer Tornado Wire, Rebecca remains fascinated by manufacturing’s potential: “For instance, I’m genuinely excited that we’re currently in the process of automating our production line. Manufacturing offers so much opportunity for continuous improvement.”

A passionate advocate for manufacturing careers, Rebecca also serves as a STEM Ambassador, visiting local schools to talk about the sector and “at least get it on their lists as a career option”.

And her own ambitions remain firmly in place.

“I’d like at some point to take a PhD in business leadership and strategy. Beyond that, and when appropriate, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a very amusing book of anecdotes in me somewhere.”