July 2014 Tube Products International
57
n
What are the future plans for your
company? Do you see a lot of potential for
growth in the regions that you deal with?
Absolutely. Water is increasingly moving centre stage
as, literally across the world, the predicted challenges of
urbanisation, leakage and deteriorating infrastructure become
realities.
Alongside that, we are also actively engaged in moving
into complementary and related sectors too. So the future?
Growth, including moving from a single hub, based in the UK,
to a multi-hub regional structure.
n
What is the most enjoyable thing about your
job/working for the company/working in
your current role?
There are two things. First, the people. We try to combine
providing an exciting and stimulating environment with
enjoying the work too (for the people we recruit, the first is a
prerequisite to the second). We have a great team at Syrinix
and I do really enjoy working with them all.
The second aspect is the intellectual challenge. There’s nothing
quite like a relatively early stage venture for uncertainty, and
the constant need to assess which options to progess, where
to go next, which to ignore, I find tremendously enjoyable.
n
What is the toughest aspect of your job?
And what is the most difficult thing about
being in a position of responsibility at your
company?
As CEO you’re the one that has to make the final call. Looking
at options is one thing, but there comes a point when you
have to make a decision and that often falls to the CEO. It can
be lonely on occasion but the upsides more than compensate.
n
What is the most exciting or challenging
project you have worked on during your
career so far, and why?
Syrinix. The “stretch” never ends. You get over one hurdle
and, in reality, that just means you can see the next one more
clearly. It is terrifically engaging and, when it comes together,
terrifically rewarding too for everyone at Syrinix.
n
What is the longest you’ve worked without
sleep and/or what is the worst crisis you
have faced/or your proudest moment?
If you start seeing lack of sleep as something to brag about
you’re in trouble. I also don’t look at things in terms of crises
nor proudest moments. There are, and always be, challenges.
The important thing is to work with your colleagues to
overcome them and, before you look up at the next one
coming down the line, pause to enjoy the moment and
recognise those that have helped overcome the last one.
n
How do you see the tube and pipe industry
(or your specific sector of it) changing over
the next five to ten years following the
global recession? What do you think the
industry can learn for the future from the
past few years?
Across the world, utilities are facing the challenge of increasing
expectations for safe reliable water supplies on the one hand
and insufficient financial resource on the other.
Sure the detail will be different from different from region to
region, but on the whole the theme still remains.
Syrinix
– UK
