Top executives agree that upskilling employees and preparing future generations for the workplace will be crucial in 2019. Taking part in the 22nd CEO Survey by PwC, they recognised the year ahead will throw up economic challenges – but remained confident there will be opportunities for growth and innovation.
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One Scottish business leader who’s upbeat about the future is Jim McGuigan, Managing Director of Cleartech Group Ltd. Cleartech is a water treatment and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) commissioning service provider with offices in Glasgow and London. Jim set up the business in 2003 and, since then, it’s gone from strength to strength, delivering a wide range of services on some of the largest construction projects in the UK.
HVAC and water systems within all buildings are required to be maintained and compliant with current legislation and this is a particularly strong growth area for Cleartech. The company operates in all types of buildings in all sectors, from offices to hospitals to airport terminals.
We met up with Jim in Glasgow to find out what it takes for a modern MD to be at the top of their game.
So, what exactly does the MD do?
Well, we have a close-knit team at Cleartech so I have almost daily interaction with a large percentage of the staff.
A normal day includes informal meetings and workshops with the contract managers and operations team – as well as catch-ups with our sales and marketing teams to see what we are quoting and how bids and proposals are progressing.
I do still spend a large part of my time attending client and prospect meetings and networking events. This information is fed back into all of the Cleartech teams
The more mundane finance and admin parts of my job still exist, of course, although this tends to be an overseeing role – I prefer to be out in the marketplace spreading the good news!
As MD, what are your key missions?
As I’ve been at the heart and soul of the business since the start, I’ve had hands-on experience in everything we do.
I understand the challenges every part of the business faces every day – but it’s important to have an open mind and allow each member of the team to make their own decisions, based on support and guidance from the management team. This allows employees to develop their own skills, as part of their own journeys, and this ultimately benefits the business.
At Cleartech we also invest heavily in the training and development of our staff and it’s very encouraging to see individuals progress through the ranks.
Tell us more about the Cleartech team.
Operationally, our business is split into two divisions: HVAC Commissioning/Water Treatment in the construction sector and Legionella Compliance in the FM/Live Building Sector.
We have a contracts manager who heads up each division with the operational teams working under them. Sales and marketing service both divisions, as does finance, project support, estimating and admin.
We engage external specialist support on a retained basis for skills and expertise we don’t have the capacity to deliver in-house, such as health and safety and quantity surveying and dispute resolution.
How do you motivate such a large and varied organisation?
I’ve an open-door policy with the entire company.
We attend regular seminars and hold in-house training sessions and workshops, where we constantly update the team with how the business is performing. This includes changes in legislation, updates in technology and any new challenges we have to overcome.
We constantly give feedback to the operations team with all the positive stories about their successes on site.
We also hold regular social events – this year we plan to hold a fundraising event with proceeds going to our chosen local charity, The Kilbryde Hospice, whom we’ve been supporting for 10 years.
As MD, how do ensure Cleartech achieves its ambitions?
By investing in our young employees, enabling them to develop through and along with the business. This ensures the core financial strength of the business and allows for growth to continue.
I also use experience and market intelligence to avoid bad prospects and clients in order to focus our efforts and energy on retaining our good clients and gaining like-minded new clients.
As MD, I’m also primarily hands-on. It’s good to get out there and in amongst it.
What was the best career advice you ever received?
Never be scared to pay for professional and expert advice…and appreciate the value of it.
If Jim’s story has inspired you to go for an Executive & Managerial position or work your way towards a managerial role, take a look at the current vacancies on s1jobs .