TEES TIME
In our regular feature, we find out what makes local business leaders tick.
Name:
Andrew Mills
Age: 46 Born: Sunderland
Lives: Whitburn, a coastal village in South Tyneside
Family: Married to Emma with three children, Nicholas( 18), Matthew( 16) and Eleanor( 12)
Tell us about your upbringing: I was an active kid and sport was a huge part of my life – football, cricket, mountain biking and climbing. My parents were also passionate travellers, so I was fortunate to see a lot of the world before leaving school, from Europe to Asia and the Americas. Those experiences broadened my perspective early on.
Tell us about your first job: I have an engineering degree and secured a place on a graduate programme with a large international project management and engineering consultancy. The structure, training and mentoring I received were foundational to my development. Looking back, those early years were essential to the senior roles I’ ve since held. I’ ll always be grateful to the people who invested time in me during the early stages of my career.
How different has your career been from how you imagined it at 21? At 21, I thought I was going to be a downhill mountain biker. By 22, I realised I wasn’ t quite fast enough – so getting a proper job turned out to be a sensible decision!
What one piece of advice would you pass on to those starting out in business? Whatever you choose to do, aim to be the best at it. Customers will always pay for best-in-class service, products and expertise. Mediocrity is crowded – excellence stands out.
Which part of your job do you most enjoy? Winning contracts. I enjoy working with our teams to out-think and outperform the competition. What we do can be complex and heavily regulated, but there are always opportunities to innovate – whether through technology, methodology or approach. Those levers are what differentiate ITS from much larger international organisations and UK competitors.
Which part of your job do you least enjoy? Switching off isn’ t easy. Our customers operate in highly regulated industries, many of which run 24 / 7, 365 days a year. That means someone is always working – even on Christmas Day. Over the years, we’ ve had colleagues offshore during the holidays. It’ s a significant responsibility and requires careful planning and strong staff engagement. It can be challenging, but it’ s part of operating in critical industries.
Do you ever doubt yourself as a business leader? Leadership expectations continue to grow and evolve, so it’ s not without pressure. I don’ t pretend to have all the answers, but I’ m fortunate to work with an exceptional executive and non-executive team. As ITS grows, so does our board, and I’ m confident that whatever challenges we face, we’ ll find the right solutions in the best interests of our staff, customers and the communities in which we operate.
How do you switch off from work? Exercising, socialising and good-quality sleep, then repeat.
Why does your business matter? ITS supports customers who produce medicines and medical devices and those who keep homes warm and our lights on. We operate in critical industries where safety, security, quality and performance are non-negotiable. That responsibility is something we take extremely seriously. Our focus is on helping our customers succeed – today, tomorrow and long into the future.
Which of your personal traits has been the most important in your career? I’ m logical, methodical and highly competitive – I don’ t give up easily. That probably stems from years of racing mountain bikes. I’ m comfortable doing what needs to be done to get results.
Which of your own personal traits most frustrates you? Impatience. Unfortunately, I’ m really impatient, which can frustrate me and others around me.
Which trait in others do you most dislike? Disrespect. I’ ve seen many different management styles over the years, but one constant for me is treating people the same regardless of their role or seniority. Respect isn’ t about hierarchy or formality – it’ s about genuinely valuing the people around you.
If you were to recommend just one book to Tees Business readers, which would it be? A wellbeing book that I’ ve just finished, Breath: Improve Your Health and Wellbeing by Discovering the Lost Art of Breathing by James Nestor. Really interesting, relative to modern living. A real game-changer!
What’ s your favourite local restaurant and why? From working in Teesside over the past few years, I think I’ ve now been to most. I do like The Crathorne Arms. I always struggle to leave.
What social media do you use? LinkedIn for business, X for news and sport. I’ ve never really been drawn to the others.
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