Mark Birch - Sector Manager, Contracts
I joined Saint-Gobain in 2007 with Weber where I started as an Area Sales Manager in the tile fixing sector covering the Midlands and the North East.
I thoroughly enjoyed working for Weber and saw a huge opportunity in developing my career within Saint-Gobain. I was promoted in 2010 to Key Account Manager with Weber and was fortunate enough then to be given the opportunity to move brands to CTD in 2011 as Regional Operations Manager for the East region.
In 2016 I moved into the Sales Team as a Sector Head in the Contracts Team – this is now giving me more experience in the Sales arena
Working for CTD has helped me increase my range of skills and fully supported me in completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Multi-Unit Leadership and Strategy. Working for CTD has helped me fulfil my career aspirations and supported me in my development as a Manager.
Saint-Gobain is a fantastic company to work for and the opportunities are endless where you really can grow your career and your own career path if you have the desire, ambition and attitude to do it. These three attributes are vital if you wish to succeed in your personal development and have helped me to where I am today.
I would recommend building a personal development plan and update the plan on a yearly basis as your goals and ambitions can change. This will help you focus on your development as a person with the support of the business. I've progressed as I'm ambitious and the business has supported me 100% since the day I joined. You need to have a “can do” attitude and don't be frightened to hold up your hand if help is needed as everyday is a learning day.
Make sure you know the CTD competency's and look at ways how you can improve on them. They are all key to your development and to the business. If you do all of the above you will have an exciting and successful career with CTD.
Gaynor McDonald - Business Controls Senior Analyst
I began my career with CTD in October 2005, from day one I was always the first to volunteer and was keen to learn new skills. I quickly established myself in the sales office and in November 2007, an opportunity arose within the branch for a purchasing role. This new challenge presented me with a fresh career path and helped me understand the operational side of the business. I got involved more in the budgets and understanding the day to day finances of the business.
In October 2009, I applied and successfully become Sales Office Supervisor looking after a team of five staff, during my time in this role I carried on learning about the business and became more heavily involved in the branch reports.
In 2016 I moved into my current role which again is giving me an opportunity to gain experience in a different role.
I believe I still have much more to offer and I am hopeful that in the future the possibility to progress to Branch Manager or even Regional Manager will arise.
I have found the Learning Gateway to have been a fantastic tool, especially being able to log on at home, away from the busy work environment. In February of 2014 Denton was put forward as a contender for the prestigious SGBD Diamonds Award. This offered me an opportunity to work on team building and boosting morale within Denton, and proved that we could, and would, be worthy contenders. I believe my ability to think outside of the box and my enjoyment of problem solving has been a strong aid at my branch, along with other branches that approach me for support.