PEOPLE 10 MINUTES WITH: Marketing director, Talasey
What is your current role and how long have you been doing it?
I returned to the Talasey Group as marketing director in January 2023.
What does your role entail?
I have overall responsibility for the marketing of the Talasey Group and its brands. The cornerstone of this is supporting our merchant customers and partners by giving them the tools they need to profit from our products. I’m also part of the senior leadership team at Talasey, which helps to shape the future direction of the business.
How did you get started in this industry? My first position in the merchant industry was when I joined Natural Paving (before it became Talasey) as marketing manager in September 2012 – after roles in project management and marketing in the professional services sector. Back then, the marketing team at Talasey consisted of just me!
What roles were you doing before and how did they prepare you for this one? By 2020, I wanted a new challenge and to experience a different part of the industry – so I took up the role of the head of customer marketing for a large national merchant. This gave me a deeper understanding of the challenges that my current customer base experience. But, when the opportunity came up to return to Talasey in the role of marketing director, I jumped at the chance. Talasey had been a huge part of my life previously, so it was a little like ‘returning home’.
What would you like to achieve in your role?
The goal is for Talasey to become THE UK’s leading independent supplier of landscaping solutions – and for marketing to continue to play a pivotal role in that growth.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? My first highligh was being part of the team that oversaw the rebrand of Natural Paving to become the Talasey Group in 2018. Such was the pace at which the business was bringing on new landscaping products to market that Talasey became the overarching brand, under which there were sub-brands for distinct product groups, including Natural Paving, Vitripiazza, Piranha, Pavetuf and Luxigraze. The other was implementing a pilot loyalty programme for roofing merchants during my time as head of customer marketing. The pilot achieved fantastic results with a return on investment of 2:1, and significant increases in sales of the customers involved. And if I can squeeze a third in, it’s been building the marketing team I currently work with at Talasey.
What do you see as the main issues for builders’ merchants and for the construction industry at the moment?
Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) contributor Chris Fisher of ECI Software Solutions recently hit the nail on the head in a post about the digital divide in the merchant sector. We are seeing at first-hand those businesses that are actively embracing technology &
Actis has augmented its technical team with the appointment of an architectural designer as technical manager, Harsha Mistry will work alongside Thomas Wiedmer in the newly created role.
Harsha added: “I’m passionate about helping the construction industry work towards net zero. It’s great to join a company which shares my goals and values and is playing such a major role in helping the profession achieve this.”
Dosafil Residential Technologies has appointed John Lynch as its commercial director.
Lynch commented on his new role: “I’m looking forward to this role and to establishing the DosaFil Residential Technologies name firmly in the UK domestic heating sector.
I’m relishing the opportunity of introducing a range of exciting new products to the domestic marketplace.”
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digitisation - and using them effectively to drive their businesses forward. And then there are businesses that are behind the curve and are struggling to catch up.
If you could go back to the start of your career, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
I’d definitely tell myself to be more confident in my own thoughts and ideas and don’t be afraid to fail, as failings often present the biggest learning and growth opportunities.
What keeps you busy at the weekends? When my son is happy to still have his mum around. We love visiting theme parks, ice skating and going to Pizza Express. When my son is ‘busy’ my ideal weekend includes TRX®
training,
dog walks in the peaks, shopping and a big glass of wine with friends and family.
If you’re at the bar, what are you drinking? It’s either a Bacardi and diet coke, cocktail or a decent red wine.
What’s your favourite book? Favourite film? The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – which is set in a dystopian future, where a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship – it’s a story that’s always stayed. In terms of films, it’s anything with Tom Hanks in it.
If you could be a superhero, what superpower would you choose? My superpower would be the ability to rescue children and dogs from bad situations. BMJ
ON THE MOVE
JDP (John Davidson Pipes), a leading provider of drainage pipe systems and water management solutions, has announced the promotion of Laura Thomson to national operations manager.
In her new senior management role, Thomson will strategically head up the JDP merchant branch network focussing on developing her teams, including the new flagship Leeds- Bradford operation.
Long Rake Spar has announced the appointment of Shane McCormick as its national sales manager of its Natural Selection brand.
McCormick has worked in the landscape industry for over 20 years. His wealth of experience and expertise led Shane to hold senior roles at Marshalls, Namgrass and Talasey. McCormick was recently awarded a spot on the Top 100 influencers in the supply field.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2023 REBECCA HUGHES
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