Young Leader of the Year Award 2017
Robert Lever, AkzoNobel Decorative Paints
Senior Customer Business Manager
Robert Marsden, Jotun Paint (Europe)
Technical Sales Support Manager UK & Ireland
Rob is an energetic, committed and driven young leader in AkzoNobel
who has high hopes and expectations for his career, as do we. His
leadership potential was clear from the very beginning and so far he has
demonstrated enormous commercial capability and resilience. In only 6
years, he has progressed to now being responsible for the largest P&L
within our largest customer in the UK. Rob is displaying outstanding leadership skills despite his young age.
He demonstrates his ability to manage and implement change and
improvements in a widely geographical distributed team mostly consisting
of employees with much longer professional and life experience than he
possesses. He provides constructive feedback and constantly launches improvement ideas that
escalate to a higher professional level for his team.
He has a passion for fulfilling not just his own potential but helping unlock the potential of others.
This has included being an Outward Bound Trust mentor, completing numerous charity events,
mentoring two colleagues and continuing to serve in the British Army
Reserves. He quickly gains the confidence from all his colleagues and his way of addressing difficulties and
challenges is constructive, thoughtful and motivating, hence he can turn challenges into something
positive. His personality is open, honest and trustworthy as well as thorough. His team can always
come to him to discuss issues and get advice.
Rob has a strong moral compass and desire to “give back” to society,
as well as an immense like-ability and talent for persuading others, finding “win-win” solutions that
others fail to see. Rob is a true Young Leader of AkzoNobel. He also contributes and addresses issues outside his team that if solved
will help the company to improve and he willingly takes on tasks aside
his responsibility to contribute to continuous improvement in the organisation.
Alison Henshaw, Fine Décor Wallcoverings
Quality Assurance Manager
Fine Décor Wallcoverings are grateful for this opportunity provided by the
BCF to recognise one of their Young Leaders, whose enthusiasm for the
UK Wallcoverings’ Industry is refreshing to see. Alison’s dedication means
she pulls together the knowledge from her long standing industry peers
and applies her own systematic yet creative approach to problem solving in
all areas and at all levels of the business helping Fine Decor Wallcoverings
Ltd in terms of Research & Development; Customer Technical Support;
Product & Process Improvements.
44
Young Leader of the Year Award 2017
Claire Jennens, Thermaset
Business Analyst
Claire Jennens is a name that the industry should be aware of for many
years to come. She is already driving through improvements at Thermaset
and her name will be one that will become prevalent throughout the
trade as the industry transforms through the 21st Century. Forward
thinking with a blue chip background, Claire is
ideally poised to take Thermaset into its fifth decade as a cost efficient
and well run quality manufacturer.
45