Globe-trotting Anuja takes over at Amazon in Rugeley

Anuja Boopathy, who is originally from India and now resides in Lichfield, will oversee operations at the centre, which opened its doors more than a decade ago.

Her background is in civil engineering, where she worked on several projects across India, including an ambitious project with the Indian government, constructing primary and secondary schools across all Indian states and unions to provide access to public education.

Anuja’s journey to Rugeley has seen her travel to many parts of the world. After completing her work with the Indian government, she travelled to Paris and Barcelona where she completed a master degree in business administration strategy in 2016 and joined Amazon later that year.

Her first role with Amazon was in Hemel Hempstead as a pathways operations manager – the pathways programme is designed to rapidly develop talented MBA and masters-level graduates. Anuja went on to take roles in Canada and California before coming back to the UK and her new job at Rugeley.

“I’m thrilled to be back in the UK and starting a new journey with Amazon Rugeley. Amazon truly lives its core principle of ‘Day 1’, meaning you’re always starting fresh, trying new ideas and putting the customer at the heart of everything you do," she said.

With her career in civil engineering and logistics, Anuja is no stranger to working in male-dominated industries, however, she gives credit to her father for instilling in her that she is capable of anything regardless of her gender.

“My father is a huge inspiration to me. We lost my mother when I was young, and I was an only child, so my father has been my rock. He achieved great things in his career, making it to managing director at a public corporation firm in India. Watching his personal development, career progression and how he led a team made me aspire to follow in his footsteps.

“My father was a brilliant team leader and during my time at Amazon Rugeley I hope to mirror that great leadership by creating a culture of putting people first, inclusion and sustained performance.”

She added: “The team at Rugeley has already stood out to me - we have a wide range of backgrounds, which creates and encourages different ways of thinking.”

Anuja is also looking forward to becoming more involved in community projects during her time at Amazon Rugeley.

“This year, I hope to build on the fantastic work created by my predecessor, Gary Norton, and further strengthen our relationship with the community in Rugeley," she added.

Outside work, Anuja enjoys playing badminton with her husband and painting watercolours. She is also a black belt in karate which she has been studying since she was a child.

The Rugeley fulfilment centre supports the local community through charity and school donations. Some of the causes supported by Amazon in Rugeley include Victory Church, 1st Rugeley Scout Group, and Rugeley Foodbank.