DIRECTOROFTHEMONTH
Work hard- and good things will happen
To welcome in the New Year, we’ re introducing a new regular feature, Director of the Month, where we meet some of the industry’ s main players. First is Sharn Samra from Epwin Group who says hard work will get you far – with a little help from your iPhone and morning coffee.
NAME / JOB TITLE
Sharn Samra, Marketing Director, Window Systems Division, Epwin Group.
WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE COMPANY? January 2016.
DESCRIBE YOUR WORKING DAY
There is no such thing as a typical day! My role is very diverse because of the volume and variety due to the channels we operate in and the wide-ranging product portfolio that is constantly being updated and driven forward. It’ s one of the reasons I love my job so much. The constant variety, complexity and opportunities involved in driving Epwin forward is both fulfilling and addictive.
I could be in the office in Telford, out visiting customers or meeting external business partners who are part of the extended team that contribute to Epwin’ s success. I may be dealing with new products, promotional campaigns or you might find me planning things that will be happening today, tomorrow or planning strategies for the next 12 months. Whatever my day looks like, though, you can be sure I’ ll be working closely with all the business teams, from my colleagues on the board to the technical, sales and marketing teams and our customers. We all have a tremendous mutual respect that allows us to work closely together to support the business.
WHAT IS YOUR WORKSPACE LIKE?
Because my day is so diverse, I have to be extremely organised – and I am. My weeks are always planned in advance so I know what I’ m doing each day and when I need to do it. I am a big advocate of time management and efficiency. It allows you to use your time effectively and get the most out of your day both professionally and personally.
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU GET TO YOUR DESK?
Get a coffee and catch up with my team so we are always up-to-date. If I’ m in the office, it’ ll be face to face; if not, it’ ll be a remote chat. Epwin is the UK’ s largest systems company and we have a correspondingly large marketing team in-house and work with some of the best agency partners in the industry.
I am proud that my team consists of some of the most experienced, talented and exciting new marketers in the industry. We have marketing experience from diverse sectors as well as the fenestration industry and our expertise encompasses the whole marketing mix. It’ s an incredible set of skills and benefits our position in the industry and it’ s great that we all work together to deliver.
WHAT WEBSITES HELP YOU?
Like many people these days, most of my purchasing is done online with the internet fast becoming the shopping destination of choice. In a time-pressed world it’ s just natural to save time where you can.
WHAT’ S YOUR MOST USEFUL BUSINESS TOOL?
Without doubt, my iPhone. It’ s like having an office in the palm of your hand because you can make calls, catch up on emails, go online and so much more.
WHAT’ S THE BEST BUSINESS DECISION YOU’ VE TAKEN IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
Taking the job! Seriously, moving to Epwin was the best decision yet. As part of the team we have to make fundamental decisions every day. Our constant NPI and programme initiatives such as Excellence as Standard are always stand out moments. It’ s in our ethos to continually move forward so we’ re always looking at and developing the branding of the business, repositioning and launching new products and services to ensure we remain at the forefront of today’ s industry. Supporting our customers with marketing campaigns to help them grow is a real privilege.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE ROLE MODELS AND WHY?
The people who stand out for me are the‘ real’ people who don’ t give up and work hard to achieve. With the right attitude and willingness to never give up, anyone can achieve great things in life. It’ s all about having a positive mindset, ambition and drive. Work hard and good things will happen. People with that mindset are the people I most admire.
HOW DO YOU UNWIND?
If I can squeeze it in I like to jog or go to the gym in the morning: I find cardio activity helps energise my day. I also use that time to listen to business podcasts about various marketing initiatives or new business initiatives because, like Epwin, I believe in keeping my finger on the pulse at all times and that continuous learning, training and development are crucial. You constantly can learn and develop in life so I put this time to best use both physically and mentally.
28 » JAN 2018 » CLEARVIEW-UK. COM