Interview
10 minutes with... Kevin Beech, Scolmore Group
This month’s quick-fire interview is with Kevin Beech, group sales director at Scolmore.
Tea or coffee? Tea
What is your current role and how long have you been doing it? Group sales director. I had been sales director for the previous three and a half years and I took on the group element six months ago.
What does your role entail?
I look after the UK, OEM and Export sales teams for Scolmore, as well as overseeing the Unicrimp sales team. I also oversee the product development and technical engagement teams, plus the commercial team. It’s a very varied and challenging role but one that I very much enjoy. I have a great team of people around me who are all excellent at what they do; I couldn’t do what I do without them.
How did you get started in this industry? I’m guessing it’s exactly the same as most people in this industry, I fell into it after leaving school!
plenty to do for the foreseeable future.
What roles were you doing before and how did they prepare you for this one?
I joined Scolmore in 2014, having previously worked for two other manufactures in various sales roles. In total I’ve worked in electrical manufacturing for about 16 years. Prior to that I’d worked in electrical wholesaling for around 20 years, from van driver to branch manager. It’s certainly given me a full perspective of how the industry operates and what’s required to run a successful department/team.
What do you hope to achieve in your role? I feel that I have more to offer within the business - taking on a group position will certainly give me
What has been the highlight of your career? I’d have to say becoming group sales director at Scolmore, a market leading UK manufacturing business, but there have been others along the way that probably felt as important at the time.
What do you see as the main issues for the industry at the moment?
The main problem(s) in the shorter term have to be supply chain issues and rising costs. I do see that longer term issues could revolve around margin reduction in the wholesale sector through online price visibility. This in turn could lead to cheaper/
inferior products being sourced/purchased by them. Don’t get me wrong I have no issues with competition, people/companies should have a choice on what products they buy and where they buy them from but corners should never be cut nor safety compromised in order to achieve a more competitive product offer.
Who has influenced you the most professionally? Too many to mention.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Apart from the whole family thing, bringing up kids etc, I’d have to say becoming a board director at Scolmore.
If you’re at the bar - what are you drinking? Guinness or cider – depending on the season.
Football, cycling, rugby, golf, gardening… what keeps you busy at the weekend? I enjoy watching most sports, gardening, DIY.
What’s your favourite film and/or favourite book?
Favourite film is Jaws. Favourite book would be any of the Jack Reacher books.
ewnews.co.uk June 2022 electrical wholesaler | 33
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