Sarah Hampson

What drew you to Ruth Lee as a place to work?

As a marketer, you must truly believe in the products you promote. Manikins are an unusual product, but the more I researched the business in the run up to my interview, the more excited I got about the product and the business. For me personally, I wanted to work somewhere that I believe makes a difference. I think Ruth Lee does genuinely care and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to promote such a fantastic product to customers who I respect – I get a lot of pride from offering solutions to people who save lives. It often feels like we are working with superheroes!

What is your background prior to joining Ruth Lee?

I am an English graduate and have 15 years’ Marketing experience, with particular expertise in communications, branding, PR, social media and content. I have worked in education, legal services and franchising, and the skills I gained working in both the public and private sectors are ones I use daily to develop the marketing and communications at Ruth Lee.

How has the company supported you?

Because Ruth Lee Ltd started out as a family company it still retains that friendly, welcoming feeling. I have been supported very well by the Managing Director in terms of career development and given lots of opportunities to develop my skills. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to develop Ruth Lee’s social commitment projects. This has been an entirely new challenge for me, but one which is very rewarding. My career has definitely progressed since joining the business and I have a much rounder global perspective on business and marketing, having travelled to some incredible places such as China, the US, Australia and Singapore.

Do you have any stand out memories from your time at Ruth Lee?

Honestly, there are too many to mention! It is hard to pick just one, but a few stand out memories include the Distributor Conference in 2017, which was held near Barmouth in North Wales. It was a beautiful setting and a fantastic opportunity to get to know some of our international resellers and find out about the challenges and opportunities in their markets – I was particularly proud that during the team building session, my team was NOT the one that tipped over the kayak, taking a chilly swim in the estuary! But the greatest moment was meeting the King at Windsor Castle in 2024, after the company won The King's Award for Enterprise: Innovation for our Pool Rescue manikin. It was an incredible honour to represent Ruth Lee at the castle and meeing the King was a memory I will always treasure.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.

I am the ‘slave’ to an opinionated, feisty horse called Luna, who I bred myself. She is a Welsh Cob, so I think she was happy to return to her motherland! We take part in all riding club activities, mainly dressage, showjumping and some cross country. I also get an additional creative fix assisting a professional photographer at equestrian events and clinics. I should be a much better rider than I am considering the number of lessons I have photographed… Hopefully the photos have improved over the years though!