14 / Q and A
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Q and A: Danny Hanlon
SBID talks to Danny Hanlon, Chief Operating Officer at Trend GB, about creating 25 foot vases and following in the footsteps of his cabinet making great grandfather
SOCIETY: When did your interest in design first spark? Danny Hanlon: When I was at school I enrolled in an Industrial Design course for a semester and was hooked. I found it challenged my creativity and I really enjoyed getting hands-on experience working with materials to craft each piece of furniture. Strangely, I ended up following in the footprints of my great grandfather, who was also a cabinet maker. A couple of years ago my parents gave me his woodworking apron. You could say it’s in my blood!
SOCIETY: Tell us about your career in this industry? DH: I was apprenticed as a cabinet maker in Perth and responded to an ad placed by Colin McKenzie and Bob Smith, founders of Granite Transformations. They were looking to market Italian granite-based material in the Australian kitchen sector and I worked in their very first showroom, eventually becoming their initial franchisee. I transferred to their new corporate head office in Sydney, and later relocating to the United States to set up the pilot franchise in Los Angeles. My experience in Australia and the States prompted them to ask me to manage the launch of the UK operation in 2004. I moved over permanently a year later and in 2010 I became a naturalised Brit!
SOCIETY: How did you reach your position at Trend GB? DH: The Italian-based Trend Group was the sole supplier of Granite Transformations’ granite and quartz worktop materials. Trend GB was officially established in March 2010 and I was appointed Chief Operating Officer, to mirror my role with Granite Transformations. The two brands now overlap considerably, with a whole range of Trend products available through Granite Transformations’ showrooms.
SOCIETY: What is the most demanding part of your job? DH: The most demanding part is also the most rewarding: It’s the people! Both the Trend and Granite Transformations brands have grown significantly in the UK, from two employees to over thirty. I have a passion for resolving problems and finding ways to make things work even more effectively, which you can’t do without a good team.
SOCIETY: Who has been an inspiration to you in the design field? DH: We do regular work with Missoni and once we created these huge 25 foot vases coated in multi-coloured glass mosaics, which had a vibrant pattern that are the signature of Missoni designs.
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