Three years ago, I took the leap into the print and signage industries, with little experience and no in-depth industry knowledge. Instead, I brought a strong work ethic, a genuine willingness to learn, and the confidence that my transferable skills would allow me to find my feet in a new industry. I am currently the operations manager at IPL (Leeds), having joined the business in 2022. IPL is primarily an installation company that also offers print services, and my role involves overseeing projects of all sizes, from one-off jobs to large multi-store rollouts. Prior to this, my career was firmly rooted in retail management. I started as a sales assistant and worked my way up to store manager within three years. Whist retail taught me resilience, people management, and commercial awareness, I reached a point where I felt I had gone as far as I could. I had found myself in a position where I was under constant pressure to deliver but often felt unheard, and I knew I wanted a role with greater autonomy, responsibility, and trust. Moving into print and signage installation changed everything for me. At IPL, I progressed from office administrator to project co-ordinator, then office manager, and now operations manager – all within three years. Clearly, three is my lucky number when it comes to career milestones! However, that progression didn’t happen by chance. I threw myself into the industry, digesting every job that came through, asking questions, learning the technicalities, and understanding the process from survey to print to installation. I quickly discovered that my ability to juggle multiple priorities, streamline processes, and build strong client relationships could make a real impact. One of my proudest achievements so far has been helping to reshape how we organise the office and manage workflows. This meant improving efficiency while maintaining high standards of service. I’ve also had the privilege of working closely with clients at various design agencies. Thanks to the guidance and trust of our managing director, Daniel Yates, I’ve been able to lead projects face-to-face, which has strengthened my confidence and, most importantly, earned me the trust from Giving her perspective of print and signage installation, Rachel Nixon, operations manager at IPL (Leeds), talks about entering the industry for the first time, and describes how she built trust and respect in a male-dominated sector ‘Learn Relentlessly, Absorb Knowledge, and Always Ask Questions’ ▲Rachel Nixon, operations manager at IPL (Leeds) FRESH PERSPECTIVES | RACHEL NIXON 24 Issue 263 - February | March 2026
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