In each issue we put our 10 Questions to a flooring industry professional. This month, we caught up with Danni Cooke, Business Manager, COBA Flooring.
10 QUESTIONS WITH… Q8
also got involved and we raised over £3,000 for toys, food and tables for a nursery in a township near Cape Town. Seeing the happy children’s faces was certainly a memorable moment and something I’ll never forget.
Q4 Q1
What was your first job? My first job was working in
retail. It was good fun but long hours, especially during the Christmas period. I worked for Superdry’s second flagship store where I ended up looking after the Northern store’s sales vs targets, and reporting to the Regional Manager. I guess this is where my taste for sales came from. Ironically, I still spend a lot of time visiting high street retailers, but nowadays it is in the capacity of discussing their entrance matting requirements.
Q2
How did you get into the industry?
I’m a family member of the COBA International Group, of which COBA Europe and its specialist COBA Flooring division are part of. I am proud to say my grandfather set up the business in 1966. The business still remains in the family and it’s always been an interest of mine. I’ve certainly grown up with COBA, and watched the company grow too on a global level.
Q3
What has been your proudest moment?
I worked in South Africa for six months for COBA in Cape Town. During this time, I raised money for the under- privileged. The other COBA Group companies in Europe and Africa
50 | 10 QUESTIONS
If you could hire any one person to be part of your
team, who would it be and why? Oh, that’s a difficult one. Probably some sort of superhero; preferably one who could fly to avoid the traffic congestion. As a team we cover a lot of miles seeing customers throughout the UK to discuss their entrance matting requirements, so having a faster mode of transport to get from ‘A to B’ would be useful at times.
Q5
What’s the best advice you could give to
someone new coming into the industry? I think it would have to be – don’t give up! It’s a tough, but certainly rewarding industry. Also, always speak the truth as people trust reliable people.
Q6 Q7
If you could be any character from film or
TV who would you be? Probably a female version of James Bond. I’d love the thrill of it, the action and the opportunity to drive an Aston Martin (and to drive it fast)!
What do you think are the positive and negative
aspects of the flooring trade? The positives, there are many! I think you have to enjoy who you work with. I have met so many great people who I have learnt a huge amount from and have given me so many brilliant opportunities.
However, it’s extremely price sensitive – sometimes people buy cheap and then buy twice.
What do you think the future holds for
flooring design? I think the use of recycled and sustainable materials will become even more prevalent, especially as we are becoming more conscious of the circular economy. We’ll also see quick-install options to minimise down-time for greater productivity.
The use of colour and customisation is certainly a trend in the entrance matting sector, and I think this desire for ‘individuality’ will only get stronger. To some extent, we already offer this within our entrance matting range but there is scope to do more. Through the design and engineering resources we have at COBA’s UK manufacturing headquarters, we are always striving to introduce new and exciting products into the market.
Q9
If you weren’t in flooring, what career
would you choose? Difficult to say. I think I would have ended up in some type of sales role as I genuinely love the fast pace of the job. No two days are ever the same and you meet such a variety of people. It is hard work, but very rewarding.
Q10
Paul Woolvine, CEO of IOBAC
asked: If you were the prime minister what would be the first thing you would do? Ban the word Brexit from British vocabulary because the public can’t take any more. And, of course I’d make sure that Number 10 had some good entrance matting in place – I’ve noticed that Larry the cat doesn’t stop to wipe his paws and neither do any of the visitors for that matter!
www.cobaflooring.com
Check out next month’s issue to see what Danni asked our next industry professional…
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