SMEG: DANIEL HADLEY THE ERT INTERVIEW
Q&A 14
‘I have to ensure that we remain true
to our values’ New Smeg UK Managing Director, Daniel Hadley, sits down with Jack Cheeseman to talk about his first eight months in the role and how he plans to build on the brand’s desirable design-led principles to grow the business in the UK.
E
arlier this year Daniel Hadley took over the role of Managing Director at Smeg UK. He joined from Dyson where he led the sales team in MEA, and he has over 16 years of experience working
for blue chip organisations..
Mr Hadley has now been in the position for eight months, during what has arguably been a tumultuous year for the electrical retail industry. But despite this, he says he’s had a “brilliant time” so far settling in at Smeg… “The team in Abingdon [Smeg’s UK HQ] has been full of energy and so engaged with helping
to build the future direction for the Smeg UK business,” Mr Hadley explains to ERT Editor, Jack Cheeseman, in this exclusive interview. “The wider business to include Italy is built on family values of trust and support; the team in Italy have been incredibly supportive and have an authentic attitude towards supporting me to be successful in the role.” Speaking about his previous experience, Mr Hadley says that although he was new at Smeg he was not new to the industry, having come from Dyson – another hugely recognised product-driven brand.
Daniel Hadley took over from Mike Giddings
Q: What differences are you finding with Smeg compared to your previous roles? Daniel Hadley: Every growth business has a brilliant product to sell and people that are engaged and energised to drive success; Smeg UK has both of these things. What is different is the “how”. My career has taken me to a breadth of industries that perhaps isn’t the normal route to MD in the appliance industry; these experiences span FMCG, healthcare and the consumer tech markets in the UK, as well as the Middle East. Consumer experiences across all of those have been the building block for success, and Smeg is no different in that respect. Smeg has a real personality that many consumers desire to have, which is a very strong foundation to build from. We want the brand to deliver category growth, not just market share, and this can be seen as different to some businesses. I want to do this sustainably. We’ve upped the pace at Smeg as we settle into a routine that drives short-term momentum for the future.
Q: Mike Giddings was at Smeg for over 20 years, and was UK MD for more than 11 years; did he have any good advice for you as you took over the role? DH: Mike was the lynchpin for so many incredible milestones at Smeg, and he deserves tremendous credit. He transformed the business including the move to our offices in Abingdon, as well as the opening of our flagship London store in Regent Street St. James’s, whilst also curating a brilliant launch of the SDA division. He built it on team spirit and retail partnerships and
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