Welcome Laura Hester, Glider’s latest key addition as Sales Account Manager focused on principal contractors and housing associations.
It has often been said that the construction industry is very traditional and doesn’t like change. However, some elements of the sector are changing rapidly. Technology is having a significant impact on the way we design, deliver and operate and manage buildings. As we adopt these technologies, we need people around that can support us on this journey. This journey often aligns with people’s career paths – as the industry changes, so do people’s skill sets.
Laura started her career in retail and then recruitment, demonstrating a natural flair for engaging with people. A chance introduction to the Managing Director of an operations and maintenance (O&M) manual provider, saw Laura become their first Sales Executive. Laura’s roles at this O&M provider provided her with a deep insight into the broader built environment and their attitudes to and adoption of data management. Her roles saw her managing end client relationships and maintaining contractor relationships. As Key Account Manager, she was responsible for developing relationships with Housing Associations, and getting the company’s software embedded into their operations.
Following acquisition of her former employer, Laura decided it was time for a change. As the saying goes, “everything happens for a reason”, and another chance encounter saw Laura join Glider.
“I was aware of Glider and had been impressed by their reputation on complex BIM and digital delivery projects”, commented Laura. “My work around O&M had started to become more intrinsically linked with BIM and I saw this as the natural path for my career progression”.
Whilst Laura was thinking it was time for a change and development of her career with BIM, Glider had started the recruitment process for a Sales Account Manager.
“It was very much a Cinderella glass slipper moment and I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason. I started looking at new opportunities and at the exact same moment, Glider was also looking. It was the perfect fit.”
“An interesting part for me will be how the mindset of the contractor has changed over the nine years since I was in my first sales role. At the beginning, it was rare to find companies outsource whereas now, it is the norm as clients demand higher quality handover records. However, the industry still has a way to go to ensure we are maximising the value from structured data. The industry has a number of challenges in the creation and validation of compliance records and structured asset data. There is still a need for education around early engagement for handover specialists (it’s never too early to set out requirements for the trades!) We still see instances of engaging O&M providers three months before practical completion, whereas an incremental approach to ensure we get quality data is more beneficial”.
Addressing these challenges and demonstrating the value of early engagement to Tier 1 contractors will be a key part of Laura’s role. The headache of trying to collate and gather data at the end of a project, when teams and subcontractors have moved on, adds undue complexity. A process of engaging with a company like Glider and data gathering during a project reduces risk. Furthermore, when implemented correctly, it will not add additional cost but will eliminate end of project issues and provide data that is complete, credible and has true value for the receiving party.
“The new role at Glider takes me back to my prospecting roots but with a company that has a much wider and advanced product offering,” concluded Laura. “With a fantastic managed service solution for O&M, structured data and BIM services, as well as gliderbim® as a handover management platform and secure CDE, I’m really excited to get started in the new role.”
To find out more about Glider and gliderbim® call 0202 8268 001 or email info@glidertech.com
