Top Training

What is your current role and how long have you been doing it?
Training Manager at Marley, a role I’ve been doing for just over 20 years, though it really doesn’t seem that long!

What does your role entail?
I deliver training to our stockists (principally builders’ merchants and roofing merchants) from around the UK. I cover roof systems, the features and benefits of our products, correct installation, and how to meet customer requirements correctly. I also train new staff at Marley on our range of products too.

How did you get started in this industry?
I initially wanted to train to be a school teacher but changed my mind at the last minute. Instead, I signed up for a Marley Student Apprenticeship and they sponsored me to do a BA (Hons) in Business Studies. Surprisingly, I had no involvement in roofing during my apprenticeship placements, but did spend time in other areas such as flooring, plumbing, fitted kitchens, bathrooms and vehicle leasing! 

What would you like to achieve in your role?
I’m passionate about passing on my knowledge and the benefit of my experience to the people who attend our training courses. Many of them are very new to the roofing industry, and I hope that my obvious passion and enthusiasm will rub off on them and that they will be inspired to go on to have as long and rewarding a career in the industry as I have.

Football, rugby, cycling, golf or gardening – which one’s more likely to keep you busy at the weekends?
None of those! I have an unusual hobby, building 1:24 scale model vehicles, constructed from plastic kits and components. Many of them are replicas of actual vehicles used by Marley to deliver products down the years. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far (can be more than one!)?

A big highlight for me is meeting people and making attendees feel relaxed so they enjoy the training and get the most from it.
I’ve also been a Fellow of the Institute of Roofing (IoR) for 20 years. A few years back we decided to enrol all of the Marley sales and technical team in the IoR to give them a professional qualification. I got the task of teaching the IoR syllabus to my colleagues, which is quite intense and leads to a full day of exams. I’m proud to say that my colleagues all worked tremendously hard, with many of them achieving distinctions and merits in those exams, which was a huge achievement.

What do you see as the main issues for builders’ merchants and for the construction industry at the moment?

Roofing has changed considerably during my time and will continue to change in the future. For many years the roof tiles themselves were seen as the most important item on the roof, but now other items are equally important. Consequently, changes to British Standards in recent years, means builders’ merchants need to understand the technicalities of different roofing components from underlays, battens, fixings, ventilation, dry fix systems etc. 

If you’re at the bar – what are you drinking?

No doubt about that – traditional beer is a passion of mine, so I always look for a hand pump on the bar in the hope that it will be a local brew that I’ve never tried before. 

What’s your favourite book? Favourite film?

My favourite book is ‘High Fidelity’ by Nick Hornby. My Favourite film is ‘American Graffiti’ which features a brilliant rock and roll soundtrack and some awesome hot rod cars.

If you could be a superhero, what super-power would you choose?

Eradicating poverty and famine forever would be a good place to start, followed by teaching taxi drivers to use their indicators!