Meet The Team: Ideal365 Managing Director, Jamie Relph

Meet the head of the Ideal365 team, Managing Director, Jamie Relph!

Jamie (33), joined the company back in 2013, starting out in the Workwear Department, moving through the ranks to his current role as Managing Director. Jamie credits the great people around him who always “sung his praises”, and also being “very organised”, as major factors for his progression, as he quickly became the “go to person” for jobs that needed picking up, which gave him unique exposure to the vast business as a whole.

Jamie’s dedication to keeping Ideal365 at the forefront of the industry, has seen him create and develop the highly successful e-commerce side of the company which continues to grow year on year. He is an inspirational leader who truly understands the business, the industry and the importance of evolution.

Here we put Jamie in the hot seat to ask him some fun questions to find out more about him, his leadership style and motivations:

If you had to describe your leadership style using a movie title, what would it be?
Not a film, but "The Last Dance" docuseries on the rise of superstar Michael Jordan. Like Michael, I'm super competitive and my team knows that. I can be quite demanding at times, but his quote: "I wanted to win, but I wanted them to be a part of it as well" sums me up as a leader. I'll never ask any member of my team to do something I haven't done, or I am not prepared to do.

If Ideal365 was a superhero, what would the superpower be?
Superhuman speed, some days the team amaze me at how fast they can get jobs out the door and accurately. It blows my mind!

If you could hire anyone, dead or alive, to be a part of your team, who would it be and why?
If I could hire anyone, I'd choose Tiger Woods. His unparalleled dedication to his craft, mental toughness, and ability to perform under pressure are qualities that would inspire any team. Tiger's comeback stories — overcoming personal and professional challenges — demonstrate resilience and a never-give-up attitude that aligns with the values I want in my team. Plus, we'd win more charity golf days!

If you could write a letter to your younger self starting in this industry, what's the one piece of advice you'd give?
You've got two ears and one mouth for a reason, listen twice as much as you talk! I still remind myself of that daily.

What's the most unconventional piece of advice you've received that helped you as a leader?
The daddy bull and baby bull analogy. Rather than rush out and try to steal a small success, it’s almost always better to take a steady and focused approach to your goal.

If Ideal365 could solve any world problem, what problem would you choose?
Ocean plastic, our industry contributes to it massively and it is our duty to try and fix the problem, or at least stop adding to it.

What's the one thing you've always wanted to implement at Ideal365, but not had the chance yet?
Client Sustainability Dashboards - introduce a digital platform where clients can view the environmental impact of their partnership with Ideal365 — such as CO2 savings from recycling uniforms, or reduced waste via refillable products. It is really easy for companies to claim sustainability, but to actually demonstrate it in real time is a different matter.

What's the most unusual request you've received from a client?
Client confidentiality is very important to us so I can't share details, but trust me when I say some are bizarre, and to any of our clients reading this - you know who you are!