The Last Word Andrew Gillard

Business Unit Manager – Residential Construction Sika Ltd

What do you do?

I am a member of Sika’s senior management team in the UK and am now responsible for residential construction.

Who do you work for?

Sika is a construction chemicals manufacturer providing solutions from roof to floor (and below!) – with an aim to provide more value with less impact through product selection and high-quality technical support. We are a leading supplier to the construction industry supporting specifiers, main contractors and applicators. You will also see numerous products in DIY stores, builders’ merchants and the like.

We felt that it was time to celebrate our contribution to Hertfordshire’s economy and to ensure we were supporting it for many years to come through the Chamber.

Why did you join the Chamber?

In the 16 years that I have worked for Sika, we have grown from a £50 million to a £320 million turnover company with several key acquisitions. Our head office remains in Welwyn Garden City and, like the Herts Chamber of Commerce, we are closing in on our centenary year in Welwyn Garden City. We felt that it was time to celebrate our contribution to Hertfordshire’s economy and to ensure we were supporting it for many years to come through the Chamber.

How

has it helped your business network?

We are still relatively new and as such finding our feet regarding how we can further contribute to the economic health of Hertfordshire. Having said that, we see other members within our industry so are looking to see how we can work together to support the overall construction industry.

What

advice would you give someone starting out?

Always develop a mid- to long-term plan to set a course, don’t be afraid to flex if the environment changes and always have a Plan B.

What do you think is the biggest challenge affecting running and growing a business?

I think the biggest challenge is also the biggest opportunity and it relates to the use of technology. The development of different technologies can outgrow the available skills in the workforce. I therefore believe that this shouldn’t be overlooked as part of the strategic planning process.

What support do you want from government?

Being a commercial operation, a growing economy that fosters innovation, the development of skilled people and the adoption of sustainable alternatives would be at the top of our list.

How confident are you your business will grow in the next year?

Confident around those things we can control – we are very fortunate to have extremely engaged, hardworking and professional teams across our business. We are also a main manufacturer and supplier of products that are exported to our sister companies in 105 countries around the world, which opens many opportunities for us. We will continue to support the big infrastructure projects such as HS2 and Hinckley Point Power station. We will see more wind farms being built which use our materials and we hope to see a general growth in the residential construction market. Our broad portfolio of products and markets that we serve means we are well placed to adapt to a changing market.