Jai Hogben

What were you doing prior to working at the Change Organisation?

Before joining the company, I had my own business dealing in antiques and auctions from around the age of 18 to 23. After that, I moved into mortgages for a couple of years before deciding to go travelling. When I came back, I started looking for a new opportunity and eventually ended up joining the Change Organisation.

How has your role changed or evolved since joining?

My role has changed massively over the years. I originally started in sales in 2008 and spent a couple of years doing very well in that role. At the time, the company didn't do much trading and had a relatively small supplier network. One of the things I focused on in sales was identifying new suppliers, sourcing new products, and building new trading relationships to help the company grow and improve profitability. After a few years, our chairman recognised that I was spending more time building supplier relationships and sourcing opportunities than traditional sales, so I moved into a dedicated trade-focused role and became Trade Manager. In that role, I managed relationships with the companies we were buying and selling through, helping build two-way trading partnerships. As the company continued to grow, the purchasing side of the business became too large for one person to manage alone, and we began developing a more structured purchasing department. Over time, I became increasingly involved in building and leading that department. Eventually, the business evolved away from pure trading and into a fully established purchasing operation focused on supplier management, vendor relationships, authorised partnerships, and long-term business growth. Over the years, the department has grown significantly, helping move the company into the position it holds today.

What elements about your role in particular and the company in general do you enjoy most?

The company culture is one of the biggest reasons I enjoy working here. I spend a lot of time visiting resellers, distributors, and vendors, and I genuinely haven't found another business with a culture quite like this one. Personally, I enjoy the relationships I've built over the years. Some of the contacts I work with have become long-term relationships where conversations are just as much about family and life as they are about business. The environment here doesn't feel like aggressive, pushy sales. Instead, it's a place where you can genuinely enjoy what you do, build meaningful relationships, and still be successful while having fun at the same time.

What factors do you feel differentiate the company from other businesses?

There are obviously financial incentives and benefits to working here, but the biggest differentiator is the culture. Everyone within the company is driven to succeed, but there's no negative competitiveness or internal politics. Everyone pushes in the same direction and wants collective success. That's something I think is genuinely unique. Across the industry, whether speaking to customers, suppliers, or vendors, people are often surprised by how different the atmosphere is here. The business feels very open and accessible. Even the board of directors sit out on the main floor and are approachable to everyone. There's very little hierarchy in the way people interact, and that openness creates a very different environment compared to many businesses. For people who want a long-term career in an exciting and fast-moving industry, I think this is an incredible place to work.

What's been the most significant change or development in the business since your time here?

One of the biggest developments has been the company's physical growth and expansion. When I first started, the business operated out of a much smaller unit on John Wilson Business Park. At that point, stock was literally being stored around desks on the sales floor because there wasn't enough warehouse space. Back then, the company mainly dealt with smaller products like memory and hard drives, so stock levels were relatively manageable. But once we started buying laptops and larger volumes of stock, the business rapidly outgrew the available space. Over the years, the company moved through multiple units and warehouse spaces before eventually moving into the current building. Even now, the business is continuing to grow rapidly, and discussions are already underway about expanding the warehouse and increasing the size of the building further. Watching the company evolve from a tiny operation into what it is today has been one of the most significant transformations.

What do you see for the future?

I see continued growth for the business. I believe we'll eventually outgrow the current warehouse space and continue expanding the building and operations as the company develops further. At the same time, the most important thing will be protecting the culture that has made the business successful in the first place. As long as the company continues growing while maintaining that culture and team mentality, I think the future is extremely positive.