WEIRBULLETIN | AUGUST 2011
HAVING WORKED WITH WEIR FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE ORGANISATION IN THE FIRST PLACE? GN: Having grown up near Glasgow I was obviously very familiar with the Weir name, it’s been an industrial icon for many generations in the households of the West of Scotland - in fact, I was brought up in a house built by the Weir Construction Division. When I was approached and asked if I wanted to interview I didn’t have to consider whether Weir was the type of company I would want to be associated with, I already knew it. Perhaps the thing that convinced me to join Weir more than anything was the fact that they published their values openly, it wasn’t just about being successful but also about the way in which the business was successful. This, coupled with the high degree of autonomy I was offered but with clear Group and Divisional support made the decision to join easy.
WHAT WAS YOUR BACKGROUND BEFORE JOINING WEIR? GN: Prior to joining Weir I was an MD for the Terex Corporation, but before this I worked in a number of roles in a variety of industries, consultancy with PWC, as operations director in a privately owned yellow goods engineering business and different operational roles in clothing manufacturers like Playtex and Coates Viyella.
YOU ARE RETURNING TO GLASGOW AFTER TWO YEARS AT SPM IN AMERICA, HOW DID YOU FIND THE EXPERIENCE AND WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS? GN: One of the great things about working for Weir is the availability of travel and the chance to work in really interesting places. Texas describes itself as a “State of Mind” and
Gavin Nicol joined the company in 2005. He is married and has just returned to Glasgow, Scotland following two years at SPM in Texas. He has a BSc from St Andrews University and an MBA from Strathclyde University.
WE NEED TO APPLY OURSELVES
TO THINKING ABOUT INNOVATION AS A DIFFERENTIATING PROCESS IN THE SAME WAY WE FIRST SAW LEAN OPERATIONS.
you really have to live here to understand this properly. There is a culture here, a warmth and honesty in the way people live their lives that closely aligns with the Weir values. This has been a fantastic experience for me both professionally and personally. I have made lots of friends who I hope will be with me for the rest of my life. I am very proud of having been part of such a great team of people at Weir SPM.
IN TERMS OF STRENGTHENING THE GROUP’S APPROACH TO INNOVATION AND ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE, WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL THOUGHTS FOR FUTURE WORK IN THESE AREAS AS YOU JOIN THE GROUP EXECUTIVE? GN: In many of the markets in which we operate we are already the number 1 or 2 player, and have been for some years. We haven’t got and stayed in this position without excellent engineering solutions and considerable amounts of market leading innovation. However, as we all know, the amount and speed of innovation is almost a defi ning aspect of modern society. Just think about the mobile phone, personal computers, features on cars etc. Whether we like it or not, we are in an industrial race to innovate more and faster. We need to apply ourselves to thinking about innovation as a differentiating process in the same way we fi rst saw Lean Operations.
WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES IN YOUR NEW ROLE? GN: My current boss, Steve Noon, has what I think is a great philosophy “seek to understand before seeking to be understood”. I am going to apply myself to understanding people’s problems before trying to provide them with some real help.
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