OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
We are proud to have brought together this team who lead the way in delivering success across the business, ensuring we remain true to our values.
We are proud to have brought together this team who lead the way in delivering success across the business, ensuring we remain true to our values.
My career path has been a journey of ambition and growth, leading through exciting roles within the construction industry and ultimately to my position today as a seasoned Director at Denne Joinery. I began my career as a trainee quantity surveyor, gaining valuable experience on prestigious London projects and completing my Chartered Institute of Building qualifications, progressing to Project Quantity Surveyor within AMEC Construction. After seven years, I was invited to join a design-led shopfitting contractor and progressed to Commercial Director, having grown the business from £2m to £10m turnover over a fantastic 10-year period of learning.
I joined Denne Joinery in 2005 to lead and grow the business, particularly for our tier-one office fit-out contractor customers in London. My role engages in the operational, commercial and customer aspects of the business, which I thoroughly enjoy. I am incredibly proud to show our customers and their project teams around our world-class facilities and help them create exceptional interiors with our bespoke joinery furniture.
With over 30 years of joinery manufacturing, project management and operational experience across the commercial fit-out, exclusive residential and retail sectors, I drive the team to deliver products that consistently exceed our customers’ expectations. I’ve proven to be effective at both volume and one-off manufacturing. As an analytical thinker and problem solver, I spearhead initiatives to continuously improve our operations, ensuring efficiencies, and I am responsible for resource allocation, quality assurance and budget management.
The wellbeing and safety of our team and anyone involved in our work are non-negotiable for me and my colleagues. I am a qualified Mental Health First Aider and ensure a safe working environment in our workshops, finishing studio and construction sites. We’ve created a culture of open communication and an environment conducive to innovation and productivity. It’s a great place to work and I’m proud to be part of the Denne Joinery team!
Like many of my colleagues, I started my career on the bench as an apprentice, so I understand the true skill of our joiners, machinists, veneerers, and sprayers. I get an immense sense of pride when I see what the team can produce from an idea or design, and there is just something about a joinery workshop – the noise, the smell, the feel of timber – it’s something everyone always comments on when they visit. It’s an inspiring environment to work in.
Throughout the years, I have built a strong network of local architects, builders and private customers, and pride myself on my reputation as being reliable and creating high-quality bespoke joinery. We never compromise on materials or associated products under any circumstances, and no project is ever the same. Everything is made unique to our customer’s needs, whether it’s a box-sash window, a home office or a feature staircase.
Throughout my time at Denne Joinery, I’ve worked in sales, estimating, HR, health & safety, certifications and front of house and have a detailed knowledge of the entire business. I’ve also built a reputation among my colleagues as being reliable and dependable.
Today I am responsible for people and premises. I take pride in noticing the “little things” that go a long way and I encourage high quality by ensuring high standards in everything we do. I spearhead our apprenticeship programme and I’m passionate about inspiring future generations to explore careers in joinery through our work with East Kent Business Partnerships. It’s a fascinating industry that is constantly evolving – there is always something new to learn.
I would happily describe my long career at Denne Joinery as a journey of progression and development. It’s a great company to work for and with incredible projects, sometimes even iconic, to work on.
Like so many of my colleagues, I bring a wealth of experience from a progressive career where I started on the ‘shop floor’ as a joiner before becoming Foreman and then Production Manager. In 2007 I took another step and was able to bring all that passion for joinery and bespoke manufacturing experience into the estimating team. Today as Senior Estimator I am fortunate to partner with customers and so many exceptional people in our team, helping to bring complex concepts, designs and plans to fruition as high-quality joinery packages. This brings me a great sense of satisfaction.
With a varied background in the company, like many others at Denne Joinery, I have a true understanding of what it takes to bring our customer’s vision to life. I oversee more than 30 people and am responsible for scheduling and coordinating the design, production, finishing and despatch teams. My experience gives me empathy for my colleagues and a true understanding of the time they require to do their roles efficiently.
Proactive in nature, I have driven my own success and am passionate about people management, helping to identify opportunities to open doors for those who, like me, want to progress. I get immense pride in seeing what we can create and hitting deadlines. As such, communication and keeping projects on track are key aspects of my role.
Over the past 17 years, my role at Denne Joinery has grown remarkably, providing me with increasing responsibility and invaluable experience. Beginning as an assistant accountant, I now have the privilege of leading the department. I’ve also embraced the added responsibility for IT, relishing the challenges of problem-solving and spearheading initiatives such as upgrading our accounting and telephone systems.
Working with the dedicated team at Denne Joinery is truly rewarding. From leadership to our skilled craftsmen, everyone’s commitment ensures smooth operations and high-quality outcomes. Throughout the years, I’ve built strong relationships and partnerships with colleagues, many of whom share my long tenure at the company.
For those considering a career in joinery, I wholeheartedly recommend gaining some work experience in the field before committing to a college course. Joinery is a dynamic and exciting industry, and being part of it is incredibly fulfilling.
As the Head of Creative Services, I am the driving force behind our customer and employer brand, listening to our customers and internal team to shape our marketing and communication strategies. We are passionate about helping our customers achieve their business goals, so my role is to listen and ensure our business plans are aligned with their needs and our marketing plan drives brand awareness, customer acquisition and retention and revenue growth. My key responsibilities include brand development, marketing and communications.
Most recently I led the rebranding strategy and new website development for Denne Joinery, which launched in June 2024. As part of this, I took great pride in showcasing our portfolio and the team, whilst also diving into the archives to shine a light on our history.