10 QUESTIONS WITH…
Each month, we ask a flooring industry professional 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Vik Vithlani, sales director high performance flooring, Middle East & North Africa, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings.
Q1
What was your first job? I started my career in the UK, as a trainee quantity
surveyor in the construction industry for a small housebuilder. I had a real entrepreneurial spirit as a young man, and didn’t realise where this role would ultimately take me – into the flooring market.
Q2 Q3
How did you get into the industry? I engaged with contractors working in many
different sectors, but in particular a soft flooring contractor – carpet, vinyl, rubber. I ended up joining them as a technical estimator and started to focus on flooring rather than construction overall, and haven’t looked back since.
What do you think are the positives and negatives of the flooring trade?
There are many positives – the continued push to drive innovation and develop new technologies. There’s some great work being done by some of the industry’s leading scientists. Other than our own Elladur range, one of the other products in our region is Resuthane RS69 which is a great example of innovation. It allows installers to get off their hands and knees and install the system stood up, with a rake and spike (hence the ‘RS’ in the name), whilst still achieving a very high standard of finish in demanding environments.
However, I’ve also read that we are the second highest part of the global construction sector in terms of litigation. There is a lot of bad advice out there, with many new entrants to the sector perhaps not understanding the highly technical demands of floors and flooring.
Q4
If you could hire any one person to be part of your team, who would it be and why?
I believe I’m driven, passionate and full of energy and I would want someone on my team with the same attitude to the job. My ideal candidate would be Mohamed Alabbar, the CEO of Emaar. His success as a business leader, investor and individual are astounding and I admire the innovative approach he brings to all his work.
Q5
What’s the best advice you could give to someone new coming into the industry?
Learn the industry – not just the theory and science but physical site application. No two projects are the same and it’s so important to get your hands dirty and really understand how projects vary with factors such as climate, thermal properties and so on.
Q6
If you could invent any product what would it be and why?
A vocational qualification for flooring, to encourage the younger generation to enter the industry which at the moment is often quite a challenge. This worked for industries including
50 | 10 QUESTIONS
plumbing, and I believe could make a real difference and attract a younger crowd to a growing global industry.
Q7
Q8 Q9
If you could have a dinner party with any three people, dead or alive, who would
they be and why? First, architect/designer Zaha Hadid, whose work I have long admired. Secondly Steve Jobs – his vision is everything I believe is possible in business. Finally, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, a real visionary leader whose stewardship of the country has been quite remarkable.
What do you think the future holds for flooring design?
Further developments in green building and sustainability. We will see more manufacturers coming on board with green building standards and environmentally-sound products.
What would you like to see in a future issue of Tomorrow’s Contract Floors?
A continued focus on green building and sustainability, looking at often-overlooked topics such as terrazzo flooring systems.
Q10
Gill Finch, Managing Director at Stroolmount UK Ltd asked: Where did
Noah keep the woodpeckers on the arc? Hopefully above the waterline and somewhere protected by our own Ronseal product.
www.sherwin-williams.com/protectiveEMEA
Check out next month’s issue to see what Vik asked our next industry professional…
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.co.uk
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