eKourier Jan 2012

8 Questions... With Darren Marshall - General Manager of KSS

with injuries and my wife reminding me I’m not getting any younger. I enjoy surfing and mountain bike riding which are my two regular activities that I do. I love the outdoors, so I’ll do anything or go any where that gets me out there! Tell us about your experiences as an Operations Manager? Everyday is a different experience. Something new always comes up that will challenge me. Generally speaking the experience involves working with people as a team to achieve something greater. What that something is can take on different forms either in a personal or business outcome. What challenges do you face in your new role as General Manager? This is where the rubber hits the road, what an opportunity for me. As the General Manager I have an opportunity to contribute back to the entire team, where previously my priority was my portfolio of centres. It’s a huge and exciting opportunity and I certainly hope that I will do it justice. I do need to elevate and change my thinking to a company level rather than just a Centre level. I believe I can make a difference because I’m surrounded by a great group of people, at both Centre level and in THQ. One of my plans is to commence some additional professional learning which I have already started and which may involve some university study. There is a saying “that people get promoted to the level of their incompetence” I believe that with a open mind to learning and a passion for what you do, you can avoid that very scenario and be what ever you want to be! Where do you see KSS in the future? There has been a lot of change recently particularly in THQ, with my appointment and the appointment of the new Operations Manager and a new CFO starting in January. This creates a whole new world of opportunity for us which I’m super excited about. I see us continuing to grow and evolve and pursue our goal of being a Famous Household Name. I see Kennards Self Storage maintaining it’s family business legacy no matter what size the company becomes. Either way the road ahead is very exciting...

What did you do before Kennards? I started as a 15 year old

Hamburger Flipper at McDonald’s, just like lot of people who are keen to work at that age. My goal when finishing school was to join the Air Force as an Air Defence Officer but unfortunately I failed to get in because of a mild asthma condition I had as a kid. So after that I was asked to join the Management Team in McDonald’s and from there started a 15 year long career working my way through all the courses and all the levels of Management finally finishing as Area Manager in 2000. I think for me I had come to the end of the road after 15 years and it was time to explore something else. I then did a small stint with Wilson Parking, managing a portfolio of carparks throughout the CBD of Sydney. Then I worked for a Property Maintenance Company looking after the cleaning and maintenance of major buildings. Neither of those positions held my interest. I then responded to a job ad for Kennards Self Storage and the rest is history. Tell us a bit about your family? My wife Jo and I were married in 1999. We met as 15 year olds at McDonald’s. We have two children, our son Ben who is 8 and our daughter Emma who is 6. Like all parents, Jo and I are very proud of both of them. I refer to my family life as wonderful but typical, with Mum, Dad and two kids, no dog as yet but the pressure is on. I consider myself very blessed that everyone is healthy, happy, and I could not ask for more. Haha...I could go on for days with this! I’ll start with my family as every good husband and dad should, and then after that it’s all about me! I love challenging myself physically; not as an elite athlete, but more like pushing the boundaries of what I do. It makes the activity more rewarding and also lands me in trouble Tell us about your hobbies and interests?

Tell us about your history with KSS? I started with Kennards in November 2003. At that time it was myself and one other Operations Manager looking after 26 Self Storage centres assisted partially by the then Learning and Development Manager. The office was much smaller and there was a communal computer in the middle of the office for the Op’s Team to use. Since that time I have been very fortunate to be involved and experience a lot of positive change and growth within the business. Whilst on that journey I have also experienced a lot of personal and professional development. Leadership Team was on a Directions Conference and the announcement was made that Miller’s Self Storage, our biggest competitor in the Self Storage market, was being sold. The next two to three years was a whirlwind of activity. Many people played a part in the acquisition of Miller’s and this time was very exciting and will go down in history as a significant, if not the most significant event in the company’s history. Just as things started to settle down, we branched into New Zealand, acquiring 8 properties in the North Island. Tell us about these changes? After a year with Kennards the

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Kennards Kourier Jan 2012