Name and job title: Zak Showell, centre manager at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis

Length of time in role: 10 weeks

Number of employees: 15 as well as a group of incredibly helpful volunteers

What was your first job: Beyond short jobs during university holidays my first real job was assistant manager of a cheese shop in Scotland. It was quite the leap coming fresh out of university into managing a small team of staff but I loved it, although the smell of the cheese did tend to follow you home!

What personal skills do you need in your current role? The incredibly diverse nature of my role requires me to be very organised, be able to communicate effectively and think on my feet. Being centre manager means I'm responsible for all aspects of running the centre including caring for the animals, ensuring the shop is stocked and managing the staff we have here. So I need to be good with humans and animals!

What is your best business memory? Winning the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums rising star award this year. This is an individual award given in recognition of the work one individual has done for UK zoos and aquariums. I was honoured to receive one of the highest industry awards at a relatively early point in my career.

What is your worst business memory? They say never work with children or animals and I work with both! The worst, if not at least most stressful, was when i was organising the transfer of some animals from another zoo in France in my previous role as Registrar at Twycross Zoo. The paperwork had been incorrectly completed by the other zoos vet, resulting in many hurried phone calls to the French authorities to get it rectified before the animals arrived into the UK. Fortunately it got sorted and the animals in question are still doing well to this day.