Meet the new members of our team!

Meet the new members of our team
Published On: 24th September 2018
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

At LED lighting manufacturer TLW, we believe that working as an effective and efficient team is the most important part of everyday working life. We have a fantastic, friendly and dynamic team and are extremely excited to say that we have now increased the TLW family by four! Here is a brief introduction to each of the new team members and an overview of their backgrounds.

Julian Ashmore – Global Business Development

 

‘Having started cold call selling or I guess what you call ‘the old fashioned way’, door knocking at the age of 18, 75 door knocks a day, I still wake up and love the fact that I have another day to sell, sell sell; it’s the best job in the world. Meeting new people, discussing solutions, and best of all, the thrill of the chase!

My original brief was to sell stationery and paper to general industry in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, the only down side was that I was on commission only; every reps nightmare! Looking for quick wins, I needed to find a new market that the traditional stationer and paper merchant hadn’t already attacked. I also needed clients that paid on time.

Through much good fortune, the education sector was still being supplied by cumbersome, local council distribution networks; that was my future. The big paper merchants were only interested in delivering minimum 10 pallets. A huge niche market was there for the taking, I was happy to deliver 10 boxes: next day, not next week, as was the norm! Over the next twenty five years I ended up supplying 85% of the large community college and academy market within the five counties that I worked in.

Half way through this period, I started my own business from the garden shed, renting warehouse space and even using a local farmer to do my deliveries! As with all markets, times change, I joined forces with a larger company, becoming a partner in the business.

Markets changed yet again, Amazon having just won their first public sector supplying contract, including the NHS, I decided that the time was right for a change, I could not compete with such a beast!

So, at the age of 49, I decided on a career change, looking to the future and looking to sell to you in the near future!’

You can find Julian on LinkedIn here.

Stephen Norton – Finance Manager

‘I was born in Lancashire but later moved to and was educated in South Africa.

I served my articles with Ernst and Young, before moving into commerce as head of finance departments in motor vehicle component manufacturing for 20 years. Later I become involved in SAP implementations. This was my role for 7 years, during which time I relocated back to the UK. After two years I decided to move back into finance.

Over the past 8 years I have been working in the lighting industry. I have been following the development and innovation of the technology, including the development of LED lighting from the original bullet chips to the latest COB and remote-controlled lighting systems of the current generation.

TLW is my latest challenge in the industry. My role is to improve reporting systems and procedures, ensuring that TLW is not only the most innovative manufacturer of LED lighting, but the most efficient and supportive company behind the scenes!’

You can find Stephen on LinkedIn here.

Laura Shutkever – Marketing Manager

‘The start of my career in Marketing came about, indirectly, in 2011. Whilst studying English Literature at the University of Sheffield I decided to apply for internships in Publishing (as many as I could get!) in an attempt to gain experience in their Editorial departments. I travelled to London on multiple occasions during the summer months to work for a large publishing house. For one of these internships the company only had space for me in their Marketing department, assisting in the Marketing of children’s books! This is when my passion for Marketing really began.

When I completed my degree I moved to Stoke-on-Trent to work for a global ceramics manufacturer as an Events Manager and Marketing Assistant. Here I travelled around Europe managing the company’s trade shows and got my first glimpse of life in the industry and cementing my passion for Marketing. I really loved my time at this company but I missed Yorkshire so decided it was time to relocate.

Moving back up north I accepted a job at a market leading greetings card company working in the Marketing department as a Product Manager. I worked on some of the most recognisable brands for the biggest clients and thoroughly enjoyed the creativity and versatility of the role; it’s great to see a product from creation to completion! After three and a half years I realised that my true passion was full mixed Marketing (and I really missed working on trade shows) so I accepted a new role as a Marketing Manager.

I have now been in the lighting industry for a year and a half. When leaving such a creative product-focused role I was worried that I wouldn’t have as many opportunities to be artistic. I have since realised that lighting is one of the most creative products you could work with! Every day I see something new and exciting that can be constructed from planning and designing LED lighting in the right way. I’m excited to see more of the amazing things we can do with this innovative product in the future!’

You can find Laura on LinkedIn here.

Bradley McEwan

‘I’ve recently joined the vibrant and enthusiastic team at TLW, having recently completed my 6th Form education. During this time I studied A Level subjects including Maths, Business, Accounts and Economics.

This is the first full time job I’ve had and it has already been and will continue to be a great experience. The team here have extended a warm welcome to me and helped me through the learning processes (which of course never stop). The training that has been open to me has been fantastic and has helped me fit into my role as Purchasing Coordinator alongside my excellent and knowledgeable manager, Paul Bannister.

I’m glad to be part of a team of closely knit individuals here and with a company that is only going one way.’

You can find Bradley on LinkedIn here.

For more information, contact the TLW team on 01302 741941, visit our VEWtube channel for informative videos, or email us here

Inspiring lighting from TLW