PEOPLE 10 MINUTES WITH: LEE HOWES Brand category manager Shurtape
What is your current role and how long have you been doing it?
I’m the Group Category Manager at Shurtape UK, we distribute leading adhesive tape brands Duck Tape®, FrogTape®
, T-REX® Tape and
Kip® Tape. I have been with Shurtape since July 2011 and recently celebrated my 10-year anniversary with them.
What does your role entail? I look after the product marketing for Shurtape UK for all our brand, from launching the right assortment of products to managing the advertising across all above and below the line and social media channels. I also work closely with our sales team to support our customers with their in-store or on-line category management.
How did you get started in this industry? What roles were you doing before? I’ve been in the industry for some years now having previously been a senior product manager at Henkel, working on several brands including Solvite, UniBond and Loctite. I also managed the Duck brand for a while when Henkel had the UK license, so got an early introduction to the world of tape! Shurtape UK was set up in 2010 with former Henkel employees who fortunately wanted me to get on board to help them grow the business.
What would you like to achieve role? Ideally to help grow the business over the next
Jill Carson is the new Internal Sales Co-ordinator at Kudos. She joins the business with experience in customer account management will be working alongside the Retail Support Team at Kudos.
Carrie Blackshaw is the new Fire Protection Sales Director at Minster, who will be focussed on driving Minster’s fire protection product proposition.
10 years in the same fashion and rate as we did over the past 10 years. As a marketeer specifically, to embrace new advertising and media opportunities in this fast-moving and ever-changing world.
What has been the highlight of your ca- reer so far?
Helping to build the UK Shurtape business, from nothing in 2010 to a company of our size with such well-known household brands, in just over 10 years.
What do you see as the main issues for builders’ merchants and for the construction industry at the moment? Brexit and Covid have often been referred to as a perfect storm and I hate to be predictable, but we are seeing the impact of them both. Independent retailers have had to close, there has been a real shift to e-commerce and sadly a lot of our colleagues from Europe are now struggling to work here in the UK.
This is a resilient industry though and of course builders are in more demand than ever as homeowners look to improve – we’ve recently been on a tour around our customers and it’s great to see things starting to get busy again. The issue now is getting the supplies! Our supply chain is strong however, we work closely with our US and European colleagues, and we’ve been able to continue to commit to all our targets.
SIG UK Ltd has appointed Lorna Stork to the newly created role of Environment, Sustainability and Governance Director. The move highlights the Group’s recognition of its potential to make a positive
contribution to the environmental performance of the construction sector supply chain. With an academic background in Environmental Management Stork’s role will be to focus on the contribution that SIG can make at all levels of its distribution service.
The Builders Merchants Federation has further strengthened its in-house team with two key appointments. Kerry Wilson is the new Learning and Development Manager who will champion and manage the enhanced service, helping to promote and support
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What piece of advice would you give yourself at the start of your career? Do something that you enjoy in an environment that you like. If you’re not happy, make a change. Work and life will be much more fulfilling for it.
Football, rugby, cycling, golf or gardening – which one’s more likely to keep you busy at the weekends?
Definitely football, but purely as a spectator! Saturday mornings see me watching my son play football for a local team, then the rest of the weekend I will be closely following the Premier League games. As a former season ticket holder at The Emirates, I am a keen Arsenal fan!
If you’re at the bar – what are you drinking?
A gin and tonic or a cocktail if I’m in that sort of mood.
What’s your favourite book? Favourite film?
I read all kind of psychological thrillers and like anything by Nicci French. I enjoy watching both English and foreign films, again anything along the thriller lines.
If you could be a superhero, what super- power would you choose? I would love to have a lie detector super- power. Very handy with a nine-year-old! BMJ
ON THE MOVE
Builders merchant Beesley & Fildes has appointed Stuart White to the post of operations manager. White joins Beesley & Fildes with a 15 year track record in sales and operations management. He
will manage branches across the North West, with direct responsibility for the company’s two biggest branches: Huyton and Widnes. As well as his operational responsibilities, he is also Beesley & Fildes’ compliance officer.
apprenticeship growth for the long-term benefit of the merchant sector. Daniel Hodder is Policy and Public Affairs Advisor will work closely CEO John Newcomb and longstanding Policy and Public Affairs Officer Brett Amphlett to help strengthen the BMF’s relationships and influence with government.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2021
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