We talk to Kirstie Horsler about a typical day, involvement in the community and why ducks matter.

Tell me about the journey to your position today and what drew you to create your company in 2012.

My background is in the motor industry, but the connection between cars and lifts is very close. I actually started working for another company in the lift industry without knowing anything about lifts! I was really fortunate, I worked through many different departments, from quality assurance through customer services and then sales. The drive to create Horsler Lift Services came from the fact that I became frustrated in my role about the lack of tangible and effective changes that I could make. An overnight brainwave led me to found my company. To begin with, it was just me and a couple of engineers that sub contracted for me. At the time, the economy wasn’t great, and people said I was either brave or mad, but it gave customers a different choice. I set out to create something that was really personable and approachable, and could make a real impact within the lift industry.