INDUSTRYNEWS
Do you think women are treated
differently in this industry?
No.
Do you think women should
be treated differently in this
industry?
No. There should not be
positive or negative discrimination.
Do you think men and women
have different qualities that
make them better suited to
different roles?
I think we all have strengths
and weaknesses, not gender
specific or dependent.
Have you had to overcome
specific hurdles as a woman in
industry – what were these and
how did you overcome them?
Not specifically as a woman, all
ambitious people must overcome
hurdles. I have made mistakes,
learnt from them and continue
to do so.
What have been your biggest
and proudest achievements in
your career?
Constructing the Management
Buy Out to become a business
owner. Friday 13th December
was undoubtedly the biggest and
proudest day in my career.
What are your short-term and
long-term career goals?
If you’d asked me prior to
the MBO, my long-term goal
would have been to own my own
business. My short-term goal is
to get through the rest of 2020
as successfully as we can, after
the Covid-19 pandemic and
the economic pressures that has
brought. In addition, maintaining
our digital and social presence to
drive continued brand awareness
and leads has been key in recent
weeks and months. Longer term
we hope to grow the two brands
simultaneously and to continue
challenging the market with
fresh new ideas and defining new
products.
What advice would you give
yourself at the start of your
career?
Weigh up the options, but go
for it anyway.
Who are your role models?
To me, the people who impact
you are the people that you know.
It is good to take cues from the
history books and from notable
people, but if you want to learn
how to live your life, usually the
people close to you are the best
models. My role models were
(and still are in my memories and
my heart) my late grandparents,
they were both such lovely
people, very kind, lots of fun, had
good morals and were very hardworking.
They always had time
for anything and anyone.
What’s the best piece of advice
you’ve ever been given?
From my late Nana; always
treat people how you would like
to be treated and manners cost
nothing.
What are you working on at the
moment that you’d like to share
with the Clearview readers?
It has been interesting to
diversify recently into 3D
printing surgical mask straps and
visors, to feel like we are helping
those on the front-line just a little
bit has been very rewarding.
We are of course also working
on getting our business re-opened
safely, ensuring our employees
returning feel physically and
mentally safe. Alongside these
unusual times, we have really
championed the use of digital
and social media, giving our
customer tips on how to ensure
their business stays active and
generating interest for when they
return.
Window Widgets (2006)
Limited, which also includes
The Residence Collection of
pioneering PVCu window and
door systems, is now part of
a management buyout that
has been headed up by the
existing UK management team.
This will see the business
return to its core values of
entrepreneurial flair, spirit and
product innovation.
The Residence Collection
represents an integration of
three of the most innovative
PVCu window and door
systems in the fenestration
industry, namely R2, R7 and R9.
While sister brand, Window
Widgets, has a history dating
back well over a decade,
supplying many of the top
100 fabricators and leading
installation companies with
clever product solutions.
Is there anything else you’d like
to add?
Companies need diversity of
all kinds to stay relevant and
to represent ‘real life’. To create
the best opportunities in any
business, you need a range of
experiences, visions and views.
Jo Wallace, Creative Director of
J. Walter Thompson in London,
points out that even after a
concerted effort in recent years,
women still only represent 13%
of creative directors, and yet a
massive 85% of consumer-based
decisions are from a female
perspective. The disparity between
these figures is not just bad for
diversity, it’s bad for business…
and the fenestration industry is
no exception.
www.windowwidgets.co.uk
CLEARVIEW-UK.COM » JUN 2020 » 15