Name: Adam Jarvis (he/him)
Job title: Lead analytics manager and charity & community lead – LGBTQ+ at Tesco network
Company: Tesco
What was your first job? My first job was working part-time at my local garden centre whilst at school – a nice way to earn some money and get a sun-tan whilst watering plants outside.
They were really supportive and let me keep my job during the holidays when I went away to university, so I ended up staying for five years.
What’s been your worst job interview? It wasn’t a job interview, but I had a really awkward university interview. It was scheduled to be an hour and after 20 minutes, the interviewer saw a single cloud outside the window and told me “you should go and enjoy the sunshine” and ended the interview there and then.
What was the first music single you bought? I think it was Get Get Down by Paul Johnson – a song which only has one lyric!
How do you describe your job to your friends? I’ve always told my friends that if they have opinions about what products we have in their local stores, it’s nothing to do with me but since moving into the range team, it is to do with me! My team provide analysis and insight to help our teams improve product ranges at Tesco.
“There is always more we can be doing, but I’m proud that Tesco is standing together with our LGBTQ+ communities”
What impact has your company’s support had on the LGBT community? I’m so proud of the progress Tesco has made on supporting our LGBTQ+ communities.
We’ve been working on improving our inclusion, bullying & harassment, and family leave policies so they meet the needs of LGBTQ+ colleagues, as well as creating spaces for colleagues to engage on LGBTQ+ topics – including our amazing new Trans+ Colleague Space. Tesco is a huge supporter of Pride each year – I can’t wait to attend parades this summer with our teams.
For customers, we’re always looking at how we can improve products and ranges to make these more inclusive. And more widely, I’m so proud of our support for LGBTQ+ communities – we’ve donated around £800,000 to LGBTQ+ charities over the last five years, as well as some brilliant volunteering opportunities.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? I love my team. I think we’ve got a really great group of people and we all bring different skills and perspectives, so that we can support, teach and challenge one another.
What is the least rewarding part? I’d probably have to say emails – I get a lot of them, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed when they come in faster than I can reply.
What is your motto in life? I don’t really have my own motto, but if it’s not too cheesy, I really believe in Tesco’s “every little helps”.
We can all take small steps to make a big difference in so many different ways, and it is brilliant when you get a chance to pause and look back at how far you’ve come.
If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? I’m one of the charity & community leads for our LGBTQ+ at Tesco network, so I think it would be amazing if any fundraising we did was doubled. Tesco already does some match-funding for colleagues, but I’d love to see this go even further so we can have an even bigger impact on our communities.
Do you have any phobias? I’m scared of lightning and also heights – the second one isn’t great where I’ve been trying to learn how to snowboard and getting a bit too close to the edge of the mountain.
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If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? I really love working in the grocery industry – food is something that is so important to everyone, and I enjoy being a part of that. There are some amazing things happening in the industry but sometimes it takes time for change, and it can feel quite slow. So, I would love if we could enact change more quickly – particularly on inclusion but also environment challenges and innovation.
What luxury would you have on a desert island? I’d probably choose a paddleboard – it gives a method to escape, but for a few days it’s also a really nice way to explore the coast.
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? Whilst I was at university, I managed to lose a shoe to a badger in the botanical gardens. They were my favourite shoes, so I ended up buying a second pair so now I have three of the same shoe.
Which celebrity would you most like on a pride parade float with you and why? Even though I’ve been lucky enough to have met him twice through my work with our LGBTQ+ at Tesco network I’d probably choose Jonathan Bailey. He is a brilliant advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, a fantastic role model, and he’s recently joined the charity Just Like Us (which Tesco is supporting) as one of its patrons.
What would your death row meal be? To eat, it would probably be my mum’s cottage pie – it’s delicious and something I request every time I go home to visit. To cook, I’d go with a ginger chicken curry.
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