Meet the team: contract manager Zoe Shillabeer

Zoe Shillabeer has been working in the arboriculture industry for nine years. She joined Glendale in 2008 as a trainee arborist with the company’s busy arboricultural team in Bristol.

It was while she was at Cannington Agricultural College, completing a degree in countryside conservation, that Zoe had the opportunity to try out tree climbing techniques and found she had a passion for arboriculture.  She finished the first year of her degree and then began studying arboriculture instead.  She finished a one-year National Certificate in Arboriculture in 2006.

Zoe had been working part-time with an organisation on the outskirts of Bristol whilst completing her course, and achieved a full-time position with a small local firm for a year after finishing, before joining Glendale.

During her time with Glendale, Zoe has attained a series of further qualifications enabling her to undertake rigging and storm damage work,  achieved her IOSH (Institute of Safety and Health) managing safely certificate in health and safety, and undertaken traffic management training.  She also completed a horticultural qualification with the Royal Horticultural Society in her own time.

Zoe achieved promotion to the position of contract supervisor with Glendale’s Bristol-based tree team in 2014.  Her responsibilities in that role included the day-to-day running of teams, equipment orders, tree surveying and mapping, job specifications, supporting the contract manager and client liaison.  Another key element of the role was managing Glendale’s North Somerset-based arboricultural team, preparing her for future management opportunities.   She was promoted to contract manager in March 2017.

As contract manager, Zoe is responsible for organising and managing the contract’s resources, pricing for work, health and safety management, client liaison and staff management and motivation.  Her favourite part of her job is working with her team and interacting with the staff.

Zoe is currently working towards a Professional Tree Inspection qualification.