What is your role at PERI and how long have you been part of the team?
I’m Neil Butlin and I have been part of the PERI team for 24 years. I started back in 1999 as a young 17-year-old and spent 15 and a half years in the Engineering department before progressing to a senior figure within the team. This experience gave me a great platform to move into sales, covering part of London. Since joining the Sales team I have progressed to a senior role within the team over the last 9 years.
What do you like about your role?
The two main things that stand out to me are:
- Being able to advise and provide solutions to our customers that fill their requirements and needs.
- Communicating with all types of customers as well as all types of departments. which is essential. This gives me a great overview of everything I do and helps me feel a real part of a project from start to finish.
What has been your favourite project to work on?
This has to be The Concrete House just outside Brighton, it was featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs. The project as a whole was let's say different from the norm. This was not only in the sense of the construction of it, but I was also dealing with the owner directly who was creating his family home from scratch, which gave a real personal touch. And obviously, I got my 5 seconds on the TV!
Can you recall a situation where your positive attitude had a significant impact on the team or project?
I can’t necessarily recall one situation, but for me, it’s so important that everyone within the various PERI departments feels part of what we are trying to achieve. I always try to keep the teams in the loop of what is happening across the sites I manage. The team must see the results and progress of what their roles are helping to achieve. It’s easy to feel frustrated when the pressure is on, but I firmly believe that there is always a solution in some form to any situation and I try to spread that positive attitude to my colleagues.
What is the best advice you've received?
Communication is key – if everyone communicated openly, then the world would be a better place. This is not only about speaking to people but also presenting yourself in a way where people feel at ease and comfortable talking openly to you.