Director of Digital, Kingspan Group, Ireland

Full Job Description

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

"There is a genuine interest in seeing individuals succeed, because ultimately that’s how the business succeeds."

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

Watching transformation happening and getting to be a part of it. You can go from talking about the theory of digital transformation, and trying to get people to understand what that entails, to seeing it in action and all the benefits it brings. Customers and the market are moving faster than you think, so we do a lot of external research to understand what is needed. 

Coming from a marketing background I have always had a passion for improving the customer experience and an interest in why our customers buy what they buy. Five years ago, I was given a brief to discover how digital transformation could help to move the business on. Moving across to a digital role, what I do is often misunderstood. Most people assume it means dealing with the technology, but that’s only a tiny part of it. These days, technology tends to already exist and just be tweaked to suit different businesses, but we are building something from scratch. The real job here is people, being responsive to customers, anticipating their needs and staying ahead of that. I had to try and figure out what that means for Kingspan and mobilise it. I get a huge kick out of that.

To really understand that experience, we established the customer experience programme, at a fundamental level we ask about things like our customers’ perception of us as a company, the ease of doing business with us etc, but then we also dive into people’s behaviour to understand what they respond to. When you’re linking this kind of in-depth research across the world you get a birds eye view, and you can create benchmarks to help different regions to develop their offer. So, this part of the role is about observing, and then being an instigator of change.

Ultimately, whether it’s a conversation about digital transformation, technology or customer experience, myself and the team do our jobs in an environment of uncertainty because it’s so new, and that’s what I love about this role. You have to be completely comfortable in your own skin to meet with that uncertainty and create something fresh.

What makes you proud to work for Kingspan?

Over the last 18 years, I’ve been a part of the growth that Kingspan has experienced, and I’m very proud of that – it’s one of the reasons I have chosen to continue my career here. There are so many opportunities given to people who have an appetite for it. I have had roles that never existed before, writing my own job description as I go along, always being encouraged to stretch and reach further, and take the business forward.

The biggest turning point in my career was being asked to go to the States from Wales. I was able to play a key role in establishing our presence there, and when I go back and see our brand up in stores or at events, I feel a rush of pride in what the business has achieved, and that I have been a part of it.

At the end of the day, we are looking to design a future that will make things less costly, easier and better for everybody. I am proud to be working in a business that is genuinely trying to make that happen, and there is still a lot to do!

What professional qualities are helpful in your role? 

Good communication, and the ability to engage with people at all levels. You must be able to converse with anybody and treat everybody the same, whether they are on the Board or on the shop floor – they each have a valuable contribution to make.

Digital transformation has an impact on everybody’s jobs – it affects our ways of working and brings new opportunities. I truly believe that people can be upskilled to make the most of those opportunities, but first you have to get them on board. You have to evolve, even if your job description hasn’t changed in the last ten years – in five years’ time it certainly won’t be the same!

Therefore, influence and impact – being able to convince somebody to engage in a vision when you don’t have any proof that it will work – these are crucial skills. This is where I look for early adopters – people who are willing to take a risk, try new things and show others the way.

Of course, some regions aren’t ready for complete transformation, so flexibility is also key. Understanding the market, looking at the data, doing research, and then supplying what is needed to move people on to the next level. Data and technology can only take you so far, the real magic is in human understanding.

The final part of my role is to join the dots across the organisation. For example, when we make an acquisition, Kingspan can bring a lot of value to those businesses, but they can also contribute so much, whether it’s different methodologies, new perspectives on the market or simply the agility of thought that you can get with smaller teams. The biggest thing is to be constantly learning – it’s never finished. Continuously striving, getting better, joining the dots to find better ways of managing the business and delivering better outcomes for our customers.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

I had a great piece of advice once from a mentor I had in college, he said “The day you are truly educated is the day you can walk into a room and talk to anybody, whatever their role may be.” That has stood me in good stead and helped build the confidence to do just that.

I also remember a speech that was made by a fellow winner at the Women’s Executive Network Top 25 Awards, when she talked about being comfortable with being uncomfortable. I think that being pushed out of your comfort zone is the only way to really move forward. Being uncomfortable is often spoken about as a bad thing, but actually it’s a good place to be. If you can embrace uncertainty, use the adrenalin to gain focus, and push yourself out there, you can get huge joy from your work.

How could someone get started in your division of the Kingspan Group?

We look for people who are full of ambition, personable and who are either already skilled or who have the potential to become skilled in digital roles. Candidates can come from outside Kingspan, but we also have a strong track record of developing staff internally. We create roles all the time to bring out the best in people – roles like ‘solutions architect’, or customer experience manager, and we have lots of examples of people who have progressed all the way to the top. 

There is a genuine interest in seeing individuals succeed, because ultimately that’s how the business succeeds. All it takes is an attitude of ‘can do, will do, won’t stop’ – the mindset of somebody who will climb in through the window if they can’t get in through the door.

The Graduate programme is a great way of opening some of those doors, but it doesn’t automatically guarantee success – that is down to hard work and having the right attitude. It’s a brilliant way to network, forge lasting relationships with your peers and create that special tribe of people you can rely on. I am still regularly in touch with other members of my cohort.

Things never develop in a straight line, so we need people who find creative solutions, because the best solution is not always the most obvious one. We embrace that creativity and the diversity that we get from engaging with so many different people and cultures. 

What does the future hold for Kingspan?

We will continue to expand globally – I see incredible people joining the company from all over the world, and I think that in the future we are going to be in lines of business we can’t even imagine today.

If you look at the digital programme alone, the data opportunity that is opening up is going to be massive, taking us into new territories and new sectors. We are stretching out into places that a few years ago were simply not on our radar, and we are on a path to deliver the best possible customer experience in the industry and beyond.

Most importantly, I believe that we will continue to make Kingspan an even better place to work, for people and for the planet.