Serving the Teesside Business Community | 37
When I was at school, I wanted to be…
a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force. It was
my childhood dream job, but the more
realistic and achievable goal was to become
a policeman. My favourite TV programme
growing up was The Bill, which is a sad
admission to make but never the less
completely true. I still haven’t fully got the
thought of one day being in the police force
out of my system. Never say never!
The best business decision I ever made
was… having the confidence and self-belief,
at the age of 26, to apply for the role of
general sales manager at Cooper Durham
BMW. This made me one of the youngest
BMW sales managers in the country, and at
the time it was a big step up in responsibility.
I thrived in the role. It was a real turning point
in my career. The hard work paid off and after
seven years I was promoted to my first head
of business role in 2013.
The worst business decision I ever made
was… nothing major springs to mind, but
I do think that I was ready to leave my last
position 18 to 24 months before I actually
did, and I should have done something about
it. I knew I had taken the business as far as
I could. I needed a fresh challenge to push
myself. I became so emotionally invested in
my staff, customers and business it was hard
to think I could walk away from what I had
built up.
The best part of my job is… pulling up at
work each morning! That always puts a smile
on my face. I’m working with such an iconic
and aspirational brand, and equally such a
talented and passionate team of people.
The biggest downside of my working life
is… not being able to switch off. Whilst I
work Monday to Friday, I suppose I‘m really
always at work, seven days a week, which
isn’t great but I suppose it comes with the
responsibility of being the centre principal.
If I could change one thing to help my
organisation it would be… since joining
JCT600 in May last year, I haven’t seen
anything yet that I would want them to
change. The company has great values and
I genuinely believe that they focus on the
most important things - our people and our
customers.
Four words to describe me are…loyal,
conscientious, driven and passionate – but
you’re probably better asking either my wife
or my team!
My business mantra is… “Make it Happen”.
I find that all too often people come up with
great ideas and action plans, but then fail to
bring them to life. I am well-known for saying
this to my team - so much so, in fact, that the
day I left Cooper Durham BMW and Mini I
was presented with a plaque as a leaving gift
which says exactly those words!
MAKE IT
HAPPEN
My greatest achievement is… on a
personal level, being a great dad to my two
beautiful little girls - Poppy, four, and Phoebe,
who’s one – but on a business level, beating
all other applicants after undergoing months
of gruelling interviews and presentations,
to be offered the centre principal position at
Porsche Teesside.
The advice I’d give to business start-ups
is… set very clear, time-bound goals for
your business and people. Regularly review
what you set out to achieve and re-set the
expectations if required. The other advice I
would give is engage your people right from
day one and create the right culture and
environment for them to excel in. Your people
are your business!
The biggest character on the Tees
business scene is… someone who I know
has been really pushing their business
forward in big ways in recent years and he
is, in my eyes, a big character – Az Hyder, of
Burgess & Hyder Dental Group.
Teesside’s a great place for business
because… land and premises are far more
affordable for businesses than most other
parts of the UK. We also have fantastic
transport links and there’s a genuine feel
of being part of a very supportive business
community. There is also a misconception
that there is not a lot of wealth in Teesside,
but the amount of Porsche enquiries and
orders we receive every week suggests
otherwise.
My biggest frustration about Teesside is…
missing too many opportunities to shout
about some of the positive news stories as
and when they happen. We allow the press
to communicate too many of the negatives
when, in reality, there are some really
exciting things happening in businesses in
Teesside.
My favourite local charity is…
Remembering Rebecca. They support
families locally who have children with
disabilities or life-limiting illnesses by helping
them have magic moments. We recently
welcomed a very special boy Hector, who
loves cars, to enjoy a few hours at Porsche
Teesside. He helped to valet a car, spend time
with a technician looking under a Porsche
718 Boxster and enjoyed a road test of his
favourite Porsche – the 911, of course!
When I’m not working, I like to spend my
time… with the three beautiful ladies in my
life! Biba, Poppy and Phoebe are my world
away from work. On a Saturday afternoon
you might also find me with my father at
Darlington Mowden Park Rugby Club, hooting
and shouting them on to win, as I’m rugby
mad.
My guilty pleasures are… being the father
of two little princesses comes with constantly
having to listen to Disney princess music in
the car, which you start to find yourself singing
along to and, dare I say it, enjoying!
The best holiday I ever had was… Our
favourite destination is the Greek Island of
Skiathos. Before we had little ones, Biba and I
would hire a quad bike and explore the island
for hidden beaches and off-the-beaten-track
tavernas.
Not many people know this about me
but… I have performed the Heimlich
Manoeuvre in public and saved a work
colleague’s life. I could see him struggling
whilst eating his evening meal - he started
panicking and jumped up out of his seat in a
busy restaurant. It was clear he was losing
control. I sprang into action, Mrs Doubtfire-
style, and the large piece of steak he was
choking on flew out his mouth. It all happened
so fast but my colleague always says that I
saved his life as he thought he was seconds
away from croaking it.
In retirement, I’ll spend my time… hopefully
touring around Europe with Biba. We love
going on road trips together and the dream
is to buy a luxurious motorhome so we can
go off for adventures exploring the South of
France, Italy and all the other beautiful parts of
Europe.