When the merger between Houghton and Quaker happened I got involved in supporting the business gain regulatory approval for the merger and entered the fascinating world of European and US anti-trust regulations and was back and forth to Brussels on almost a weekly basis learning as I went about how the whole process worked and in the end we were required to dispose of elements of the steel and aluminium rolling business again a somewhat complex process to find buyers for the business that would be acceptable to regulators.
Having worked with a colleague from Quaker as Global Commercial Integration Lead, I took a role as Senior Commercial Director Northern Europe for the new company. Whilst being the most rewarding job I could have wished for, it was also pretty exhausting, so I took the decision to take an early retirement. Ironically one month later COVID hit and I had no choice but to do very little, as all the plans to take up lots of sporting actives were postponed.
When Certas came calling I felt having had a total mental switch off for over 18 months I still felt I could contribute to an industry I loved so I jumped back in with both feet. I learned about how the automotive lubricants industry worked for the first time, as well as the difference between working for a distributor and a manufacturer, and the real value that distributor can add to manufacturers when it comes to customer intimacy.
Then, out of the blue without any symptoms came a diagnosis of prostate cancer, fortunately for me I caught it early at a routine health screening. Luck was on my side as this was the first routine screening I had attended in 10 years. I had been healthy all my life and convinced myself I was always too busy to attend a health check. Early diagnosis gave me options and having done my research into the consultant that was treating me I had upmost trust that he would guide me down the right path for treatment. I had surgery 18 months ago, and he reported all had gone well. Now I could go on to tell you the funny stories of running round a football field coaching a bunch of 9-year-old kids (another passion of mine) and waiting to see if my bladder would hold up but I will leave that for another day. Anyway, that was enough of a wake-up call to convince me it was time to spend more time with the family so I took a second retirement party and hung up my boots. Then
my misspent youth as a part -time DJ with a friend of mine kicked in and I became a podcaster, and The Lubricants Live Podcast was born. Not a job. Just an excuse to have fun and stay in touch with so many people I have met in an industry I love and whilst am still having fun I will keep going.
Has the industry changed since you started? Absolutely but perhaps not as fast as it should have done. I think the industry are great product innovators and bring massive benefit to society. However, in areas outside of product there has been so much opportunity to innovate and we have either not been agile enough or not been prepared to try and fail. Our overall customer experience could just be so much better if we moved faster in every other area that doesn’t touch product. It will be interesting to see how the industry handles AI. Let’s hope it gives us the opportunity to be more agile and use the talents of the people we have in this industry to create more value for customers and get paid the right price for that value. In my mind volume is no longer going to be the measure of success in this industry and other ways of earning revenue from customers will have to play a part. Just filling blending plants will not be enough.
Do you have a favourite quote? It has to be “He who dares wins.“ Not sure if that’s the SAS version or the Del Boy quote from Only Fools and Horses. Either way I thought for where the industry is today it sums it up nicely.
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