meet the team

When did you join Keenpac?

The MD of Bunzl UK asked me to join Keenpac back in 2009 when they were looking to strengthen the senior team and it turned out to be my best career move yet!

What inspired you to become a Managing Director?

My inspiration definitely came from my dad who also ran a successful international business until he retired some years ago.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Keenpac – our customers, our suppliers and most importantly our people.
• Most sports, but particularly rugby & golf.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

• People interaction and development.
• Trying to make Keenpac a great place to work.

What keeps you awake at night?

Thinking about Keenpac and my young son!

Describe what one day in your life looks like:

No one day is the same at Keenpac so it is really hard to describe…My office hours are 8.00am until the job is done! Time definitely flies at Keenpac when we are busy supporting our retail customers.

If you could give any career advice to your 21 year old self – what would it be?

Live life to the full and make the most of sport whilst you can!

How do you re-charge?

• I love to play golf, but it is a bit of a challenge with a 1 year old boy at present…
• Spending time with family and friends cooking, eating and drinking!

What is the most important lesson you have learnt in the last year?

I have learnt that our son comes first in everything!

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Sociable, fun and loves a curry!

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

• Out of work – marrying my wife Kelly and having our baby boy!
• In work – becoming the MD of Keenpac

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?

My addiction to Indian Food

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

Apart from my Dad and current boss……… Henrik Stenson to help with my golf game!

When did you join Keenpac?

I joined Keenpac in July 2012.

What roles have you done prior to your current role?

I come from a background managing sales teams within non-food businesses that have always sold into the retail sector – previous roles

• Head of National Accounts – GEM Distribution (The UK’s distributor for Microsoft Gaming & Electronics products).
• Sales Director – Games Warehouse – Digital Gaming & Quiz Machine manufacturer.
• Sales Director – Choices UK – Distributor of DVD’s & Console Games to the High Street Retail & C-Store sector.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Keenpac’s people & our value proposition.
• I love watching most sports & eating out with my family.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

The people are great and genuinely the nicest bunch that I have ever worked with in my 20 years at work.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, past or present – who would it be and why?

• John Arlott & Brian Johnson ( both cricket commentators)
• Ian Botham
• Margaret Thatcher

How would you like to be remembered?

• He was much taller than he looked!
• He was someone who cared about people, was a good family man and made a few people laugh along the way….

If you could give any career advice to your 21year old self – what would it be?

Work hard and listen well but make sure you keep the balance right to ensure you enjoy life to the full before you have greater commitments.

Wha is the most important lesson you’ve learnt in the last year?

Not just this year but something that I have picked up from working closely with Craig for 4 years…. “Just keep doing the right things” and good performance will follow.

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Hard working, amusing and short

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Balancing work and family life for 20 years with my hard working wife (with 3 kids and a mad dog it can be pretty tough sometimes but we work well as a team).

What is something you’ve learnt in the last week?

My youngest showed me how to dab!

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

I have been very lucky to have had the best mentors in my career so far here at Keenpac. The combination of Craig & Helen, who are both top sales people and also are great at building positive business cultures that allow people to deliver strong results.

When did you join Keenpac?

February 2015.

What inspired you to become a Financial Director

Always thought a career in numbers / maths would be useful. I trained with Ernst & Young (Big 4) in the audit department and did my ICAS chartered accountancy qualification. I got access to some large FTSE 100 PLC’s and from there on I knew I wanted to get to a role within an industry that allowed me to make a difference and lead the finance strategy.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Being the best I can be and developing people within my team.
• Music, rugby, athletics, good wine and good food!

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Variety and commercialism.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, past or present – who would it be and why?

That’s tough! I’m not sure I can name just one, but a few would include:

• Charles Darwin – the man was an evolutionary genius and I’d love to hear his stories of travelling the world and un-covering new species and developing his theories.
• Leonardo Da Vinci or Michelangelo – who wouldn’t want to chat more about renaissance Italy?!
• Nigel Slater – his 3 kitchen diaries books are my cooking bibles. I’d love to learn directly from the master. Plus he could cook!
• Monty Don – the living embodiment of the BFG. He must bring his dog Nigel though.
• My 4 grandparents.

If you could give any career advice to your 21year old self – what would it be?

Keep plugging away and back yourself. Have more confidence and don’t panic what people think of you.

What is the most important lesson you have learnt in the last year?

• You can’t complete park-run on a Saturday morning after a night on champagne and whiskey.
• More seriously, keep working hard and pushing to learn and the right opportunities will come your way.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

• In work – getting my ICAS Chartered Accountancy qualification and being promoted to FD.
• Outside – representing England Athletics at under 20’s level.

What is your guilty pleasure?

No pleasure should be guilty, if you enjoy it or like it – who cares?! Guilt is only implied by others who don’t understand the beauty of what you like.

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

Michael Johnson. He was my idol growing up competing in athletics. He wrote a great book called slaying the dragon and turned himself into the best athlete on the planet through hard work, grit and determination and not giving up when things didn’t go to plan. I think he’d provide great insight in mental toughness, agility and focus that would be useful.

Plus I’d finally be able to get him to sign the picture I have of him after his 400m world record in my study!

When did you join Keenpac?

February 2001.

What roles have you done prior to your current role?

• Merchandising manager at Keenpac.
• Sales executive at KAM printing manufacturers.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Sourcing factories.
• Scuba diving.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, past or present – who would it be and why?

My family because I always feel that I do not spend enough time with them.

Describe what one day in your life looks like?

Non-stop!

If you could give any career advice to your 21-year-old self – what would it be?

Work hard, but enjoy life.

How do you re-charge?

Sleep, fishing, scuba diving

If you could chose a holiday destination, where would you pick and why?

South Africa, because i would love to go on safari.

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Funny. Positive. Food lover.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Setting up the Keenpac office in China.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Instant noodles.

When did you join Keenpac?

1999.

What inspired you to become General Manager?

My MD before Keenpac.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Bags (Keenpac bags of course!)
• Photography

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Working for a global company and being able to use my language skills.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, past or present – who would it be and why?

I need to choose two: Giorgio Panariello, to make me laugh, and César Manrique, to inspire me culturally.

Describe what one day in your life looks like:

Like a whirlwind, I never stop all day long multi-tasking.

How do you re-charge?

Spending time socialising with friends.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learnt in the last year?

Importance of work life balance.

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Reliable, positive, meticulous.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Moving to Italy and becoming a General Manager at the age of 24.

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?

Being an interior designer

When did you join Keenpac?

August 2007.

What inspired you to become a Distribution & Warehouse Manager

I wanted to run it my way.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Logistics
• Cycling

How would you like to be remembered?

Just remembered would be good.

Describe what one day in your life looks like

05:30ish up breakfast feed the family, check email, check in with the warehouse, walk the dog,

07:30 ish leave for work.  Time is divided by the Warehouse and OMT looking at rates  / volumes dealing with people.

Most days away by 17:00, may be a run if in the summer out on the bike.

If you could give any career advice to your 21year old self – what would it be?

Don’t stand still!!

If you could choose one holiday destination where would you pick and why?

Antarctica, it would be amazing.

What is the most important lesson you have learnt in the last year?

Don’t make a judgment until you have the facts.

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Stubborn. Loyal. Not on Facbook.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Our children.

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?

Not being famous.

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

Sandy Woodward.

When did you join Keenpac?

July 2007. I originally started at Walsh & Jenkins, Sidcup, but within 6 months I had been seconded to Keenpac!

What inspired you to become a Retail Channel Director?

I had the opportunity to become part of the sales management team about 7 years ago, I liked the idea of developing my team building and management skills whilst also remaining involved with our customers and products.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Exceptional customer service – inside and outside of work! I believe one of our key strengths is the people who work for us who care passionately about our customers.
• Travel – I enjoy quality time with my family and newly acquired dog, in our camper van. We mostly spend time in France where the food and drink of course are a plenty!

What do you most enjoy about the job?

• Coaching and mentoring my team, being there for support when needed but also allow them to be autonomous and have confidence in what they do.
• Spending time with our customers, they are why we are all here!

What keeps you awake at night?

• My wife’s snoring…
• Challenges within traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ retail as more money is spent online vs the high street. The tough economic climate as we progress through Brexit.

Describe what one day in your life looks like?

Really? There is never one day the same… typically I will have an agenda for a day which I rarely stick to. I think being a manager means you should be there for your team so this can change your plans at the drop of a hat. However, I always start with a coffee and end on a tea, the rest of the day can be a bit of a blur as we are always so busy!

On my way into work on a morning I…….

1. Drink my breakfast (I have a healthy smoothie everyday).
2. Listen to Chris Evans on Radio 2 (yes, I am getting old!).
3. Listen to my wife on the phone complain about what the dog has eaten and shouldn’t have…

What is the most important lesson you have learnt in the last year?

Don’t be complacent, there are always other options if you explore them (both inside and outside of work).

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Clumsy. Funny. Genuine

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?

Food challenges – I don’t do them anymore, but have eaten some odd stuff for a bet before. A whole cabbage, 5 angel delights and 7 big macs, but not all at the same time!

When did you join Keenpac?

3^rd January 1998 (whilst still very young).

What inspired you to become a Business Development Director?

I ask myself that a lot…

What two things are you most passionate about?

I’m passionate about a lot of things but when limited to only 2… horses, dogs and fields (3 I know but they go so well together).

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Product development, negotiation and honest customer & supplier relationships.

Describe what one day in your life looks like:

Each working day is different but usually starts early…

As business development; my day is mostly led by individual projects & prospecting and, given time served, an element of team product and commercial support.  I could be in London, Paris or (the rather less glamourous sounding) Leicester where our offices and DC are based.

New client meetings, product development, tender submissions, email catch-up, copious tea and coffee drinking – all par for the course.

On my way into work in a morning I…..

Usually wonder if I’ve turned the hair straighteners off.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learnt in the last year?

Nothing is forever.

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Bossy, Busy & Fun.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My retirement fund.

What is your guilty pleasure?

What’s guilt?

What is something you have learnt in the last week?

Why 110 volt exists!

When did you join Keenpac?

February 2015

What inspired you to become a Head of Creative

Love of design, typography and packaging! Always had a thing for ‘art’ but even at school wanted a commercial profession that linked to art, found out about Graphic Design and aimed for that.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Creating something that previously never existed, making a difference and helping in some way to continue building our customer brands. Working with a great team.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Good design – typography and ‘beautiful’ packaging that builds the brand
• Electric guitar – the Edge and Jonny Marr are my heroes!

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, past or present – who would it be and why?

Steve Coogan – been a fan since his Spitting Image days, he makes me laugh, always – but I’d be interested in how he goes about creating characters and the nuances of peoples personalities.

How would you like to be remembered?

Big on being fair and kind, small on stature .

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Caring, funny & weird

What is your guilty pleasure?

Probably Dance Moms or watching Muriels Wedding

What is something you have learnt in the last week?

Always expect the unexpected and Powerpoint should be banned.

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

The Edge

What is your number 1 most played song?

Hunter and the Hunted – Simple Minds

When did you join Keenpac?

I joined in July 2010 and before that i was at our sister company Bunzl Retail Supplies for 3 years.

What inspired you to become a Retail Channel Director?

Working for 2 excellent and inspirational female leaders over the course of my career.

What two things are you most passionate about?

• Interior design
• Good manners

What do you most enjoy about the job?

I love the variety of challenges that my job offers, everyday is different. I love the creativity of the new product development but above all i enjoy developing my team and seeing them improve.

Describe what one day in your life looks like?

Pretty different to the day before to after it usually!!

I wake up at any time between 5.30am-7am depending on where i’m going and eat breakfast before i can even consider speaking to anyone.

Feed the cat, shower and get ready for work.

If i’m working from home, i’ll often head out early morning for some fresh air – i value the mental shift it gives between home and work.

My day consists of any combination of meetings, conference calls, emails, team 121’s. Often this is in and around London so i can be on-and-off the tube quite a bit.  If i’ve been to the office in Leicester, i’ll usually get home around 7-8pm or if i’m working from home i’ll wrap up at around 6pm and try and fit in a gym class or catch up with friends.

What is the most important lesson you have learnt in the last year?

People come first, tasks come second. Always.

(Don’t have a baby and build an extension at the same time).

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Loyal. Generous. Northern.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Making my parents proud.

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?

Being a world class stunt woman, obviously.

If you could chose anyone, who would you pick as a mentor?

Michelle Obama. She is intelligent, progressive and elegant with a great sense of humour and is a fantastic role model for young girls and women alike.