Welcoming Brian Trueman: SHP's new Head of Sales & Commercial

The last six months have been a time of reflection and introspection for many - ourselves included. One of the things we used the slowing down of live projects as an opportunity for, was to consolidate and document our purpose and values.

With involvement and contribution from the whole team, we decided that the following encapsulated who SHP are and what we stand for:

POWERED BY PURPOSE
EMPATHY OVER EGOS
DEDICATED TO DESIGN
COMMERCIAL WITH A CONSCIENCE
TEAM, TOGETHER.

It's these values that helped to select Brian Trueman as the next person to lead our Sales and Commercial activity.

A bit about Brian

Originally hailing from Thurso (the very top of Scotland near John O'Groats), Brian has called Glasgow home since he came here for uni and never left (it gets you like that).

With over 15 years experience working for various world-renowned organisations such as SEIKO and Sony, Brian's CV was immediately a stand-out.

But it wasn't just his professional accolades that made Brian feel like a perfect fit for SHP. It was clear there was also a strong personal alignment.

Here's what Brian had to say when we asked him some quick questions...

Tell us a bit about your sales background?

From the age of 13, I developed a love for selling when I established an “unofficial” tuck shop at school. Very quickly I grew to understand how to competitively source products to suit customer needs and wants, and the value of keeping loyal customers happy.

I went on to study Marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University, to grow my commercial awareness and develop wider sales abilities. I believe Marketing and Sales share many of the same principles, so I really enjoyed the course. After graduating, I worked for a National Newspaper selling advertising space – I was only there three months and I barely sold a bean but I did learn a valuable life lesson. I realised that I could not sell a product that I did not truly believe in (or would purchase myself) – so from then on I decided I could only work with companies where I could sell with a real purpose, extol my own passion for their products and feel like I’ve helped people make the right choice.

I have been fortunate to have worked with World Class brands such as Sony PlayStation and SEIKO for a number of years and received excellent training and personal development.

And what about Brian outside of work?

I am blessed with a beautiful family, lovely wife and two precious sons. For the moment, prior to Covid19, my weekends involved a Soft Play centre somewhere, being chased around by a growing line of children – my son won’t play in there without me going in too (honest!!) - I’m like the Pied Piper of Soft Play!

I also enjoy travelling, my wife and I were fortunate enough to travel a lot before our children were born and I love learning about different cultures and seeing life through a different lens. We honeymooned in Uganda which often raises a few eyebrows, but we wanted a unique Safari adventure “off the beaten track”.

It was truly the most amazing country – the people there taught me so much - to be grateful for what you have, respect other people and not to be judgemental. Their work ethic was incredible, and their positive attitude despite living in extreme poverty, is a continuing source of inspiration for me. I don’t think I complain nearly as much as I used to…although my wife might disagree!

Why SHP - what's drawn you to this role?

There is a strong emotional pull towards the opportunity to work with Safehinge Primera. Two years ago I lost my father to suicide; it was sudden, unexpected and an incredibly difficult time for us as a family.

The opportunity fits me like a glove; to play a leading role in a business that engineers solutions with a stated aim of preventing suicides (and thus preventing the devastation that follows for so many families in the aftermath).

It would be impossible for me to find a role that would give me the same level of self-motivation to succeed, and the rewards for success are vast; knowing every product we sell has the potential to change, or save, a life. I know success in this role, would have made my father very proud.

Anything in particular about the sectors we work in?

Sadly, there is a growing need for our products and solutions that looks set to continue to grow rapidly in the years ahead.

Covid19 is predicted to put an increased strain on people’s mental health which could result in a higher number of in-patient admissions. When added to a continued under-investment in Mental Health facilities, it makes it more urgent than ever that we share our vast knowledge and design experience to help make facilities safer and facilitate a faster recovery for service users.

In Education and Public Buildings, children continue to suffer serious injuries where fingers become trapped in doors. Often this is due to poor maintenance or vandalism of the plastic finger guard that has been specified and installed when a safe door that designs out the dangerous gap was required (and available!)

Our challenge is to work closely with our valued distribution partners, architects and local authorities to demonstrate the value of specifying an aluminium product that will outlive the life of the door. I must confess to be someone who had never given Finger Guards a thought previously, but now find myself looking at every door I see in shops, schools, cafes and hospitals and I recoil in horror at some of the risks our children are exposed to. Education of Finger Guards in Education perhaps?!

Looking forward, what's your vision as part of team SHP?

My vision is simple. The sustained growth of this business means more people are benefiting from our advanced design and technology, they are safer and recover quicker as a result. As we expand domestically and internationally, it is truly inspiring to think of how many people we can help. I will bring a focus, a drive and a determination to deliver this growth.

Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, is often (loosely) quoted as saying “if I gave people what they asked for, I would have designed a faster horse…”

Often customers tell us what they want from a door, but it might not necessarily achieve the best possible outcome, so my team will take time to probe the challenges and engage all the stakeholders in discussion before applying our collective experience to devise a solution.

What makes us unique is that we will never compromise on the best possible outcome; if a customer wants to “downgrade” on the outcome for any reason then my team will politely withdraw if they cannot overcome this. It is this unique, and inflexible, approach that allows us to sleep well at night knowing we’ve provided the safest solution possible for the people who interact with our products most.

My role is to keep our talented team focused on this key fundamental, ensuring customers are at the heart of everything we do, inspiring us to push the boundaries of “design for good” and delivering the best possible outcomes for those who use our products.