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PEOPLE


10 MINUTES WITH: MAGGIE PARRIS


Buying Group Director and National Sales Director, Brett Landscaping


What is your current role?


I am the Buying Group Director and National Sales Director for Brett Landscaping. I have been in the role for three years, but I have been with Brett for 11 years.


What does your role entail?


I work with merchants to ensure that the stock profiles of Brett Landscaping products at all major depots are being managed correctly, and to ensure that the yard staff are trained in Brett Landscaping products. It is a very collaborative operation and we work closely with merchants to make sure that the right products are available at all times to the merchant branches.


How did you get started in this industry? After college I fell into the industry more by accident than design, starting in construction in 1980 and then moving into concrete products in 1985. My career in construction products has gone on from there.


There is a camaraderie in construction that leads to a lot of friendships and banter; there are a lot of good people working in the sector throughout the country. I have seen and experienced many changes in industry legislation and attitudes in my career. It is now noticeable many more women are working successfully in the industry – for example, half of Brett Landscaping’s external sales teams are female.


What roles were you doing before and how did they prepare you for this one? It seems like such a simple answer, but using a common sense approach prepares you for most roles in our industry. I started as a trainee representative for a ready mix concrete company, moving on to an aggregate before ending up in concrete products. In my time I have held roles as a territory sales representative, supervisor and sales manager, as well some product development. I have also held a business management role overseeing production, sales and the respective team management this involves.


These roles all require good practical and technical knowledge of your products and business. I have found that if you get this right then you will keep hold of customers and staff who will trust your judgement.


What would you like to achieve in your role? The industry is always changing and, as a result, personal and company goals also have to change and adapt. We are working with merchants to find new product routes to market


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that will support merchants and, if we can help merchants to negotiate the impact of online trading and find a way for it to work for the sector, then that will be another achievement.


What’s been the highlight of your career ? I think being able to rise through the ranks in a traditionally very male dominated industry. Starting in ready-mix and aggregates in the early 80s provided some barriers and cultural challenges, but if you know your sector and are knowledgeable about the products then you will go far.


What do you see as the main issues at the moment?


How customers make their decisions on which products they choose is disrupting the conventional routes to market via merchants. Traditionally the role of the merchant is to inform and serve tradespeople so that they can do the best job for their customer. However, now decision-making is being completed without need for face-to-face advice, manufacturers need to ensure that the provision of product information is in a format that better assists the merchant and their relationships with customers.


If you could go back to the start of your career, what piece of advice would you give yourself?


To have more assurance and confidence in myself and my ability – because people did respect my work and I was taking the right approach at the time.


Football, rugby, cycling, golf or gardening – what keeps you busy at the weekends? I’ve always been a big follower of sports, playing a lot of hockey, and I have always been a keen follower of rugby union team Newcastle Falcons, but these days there is always time to be spent in the garden!


If you’re at the bar – what are you drinking? It depends on my mood, but if we’re at the rugby it will be a glass of wine!


What’s your favourite book? Favourite film? My favourite authors have been to date Robert Ludlum, Agatha Christie and Colin Forbes. There is a trend for crime and spy thrillers in my choices.


If you could be a superhero, what super- power would you choose? Superhero? But I am already one of those, having to juggle home, gardening, work and of course looking after my customers!


ON THE MOVE


• Landscaping supplier Pavestone Group, has made three major


appointments. Tom Parker has been appointed as Pavestone Group chairman,


replacing Peter Smythe who is retiring after 17 years’ service. Parker is a highly experienced, successful and well- regarded figure within the industries Pavestone serves. Krystal Williams has also been promoted to the position of managing director of the landscaping division, taking the reins from group managing director, Kevin Fowler. Williams has extensive experience


acquired from many years of operating within the landscaping and building materials sector.


In addition to the board changes Pavestone has also announced the promotion of James Crossland from key account manager to national sales manager for the landscaping division.


• Dan Clarke has joined the team at Norbord in the role of national sales manager. Previously national sales manager for Kronospan, with 24 years’ experience in the panel manufacturing and timber distribution industry, his role will incllude extending Norbord portfolio in the new build, off-site manufacturing, modular, timber frame, MMC’s and timber engineering sectors.


• Rick Green has been appointed managing director of Hanson UK’s Leicestershire-based asphalt and quarrying business MQP (Midland Quarry


Products). He moves from his role as managing director of Hanson Contracting to replace Dave Bagshaw, who has retired after 39 years in the industry.


• Ideal Standard Group has appointed Andy Dennis as its new sales director in the UK. He will be central in coordinating sales activity for the organisation’s flagship


brands, Ideal Standard, Armitage Shanks, and Sottini, working closely with the UK managing director, Stephen Ewer.


• Brian Lipscombe has joined the Stelrad business development team with responsibility for much of the south- east of the UK. He joins the company after sixteen years with Honeywell as Specification Manager for Water Controls.


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2019


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