Back in January this year, we announced Phil Wild’s appointment as Metamark’s new CEO. Six months on and we visited the Metamark UK Lancaster facility to catch up with Phil and get an overview of his initial tenure and the ambitious plans for the company’s UK and international growth.
When he joined the company, Phil Wild said, “Metamark contemplates a wider international horizon and will be pressing on with its partners and behind new business models that serve the needs of our core markets and beyond. Metamark has a great brand, wonderful products, and very talented people.”
With several months under his belt, did this statement prove accurate? “It is relatively unusual to come into a new company as CEO to find an incredibly well-run business with great people, processes and product pipelines in place. That’s what I have found at Metamark. It meant that I hit the ground running and have been straight to work on the key objectives we talked about when I joined,” he says.
Joining Metamark
Prior to joining Metamark, Phil spent 20 years at 3M and then 10 years as CEO of James Cropper. “Having worked with both SMEs and large corporations, I prefer to work with an SME because they are more dynamic, agile organisations in which I can make a material difference. With Metamark, I have joined a company with a strong background and solid business foundations. It’s been well-led, with good growth supported by a strong product portfolio.”
He continues, “I joined the company at a very interesting time. The company started as a UK business which, over the years, has started to grow internationally. While there is still lots more we can do in the UK, we have a massive opportunity to grow globally. However, I am fervently committed to ensuring we don’t take resources and support from our UK business to support international growth.”
International growth
This means Metamark is adding to the international team rather than moving people away from the UK. The company recently appointed Ronald Beij as Regional Business Director for Europe and Africa, one of three new roles it has created to support international expansion, in addition to the existing international team.
“Successful international growth requires the right people and the right distribution channels. I strongly believe in the business value and strength of trusted long-term relationships. While we sell directly to end users in the UK, for the international market, we want to work with committed distribution partners that live and breathe Metamark just as we do,” adds Phil
“Some of these relationships are already in place, however, there’s a load of potential to be fulfilled, and this is where we are identifying additional resources. I firmly believe in having local people supporting local markets. It is important to have representatives in the same time zone, with the right culture, values, and understanding of their markets. Local support and local service are the fundamental requirements for success.”
Positioning in a competitive market
Phil says that how the company positions itself and its products is also very important, “We manufacture premium products at affordable prices. We have achieved a host of quality standards and sustainability credentials, but we don’t carry the burden of significant overheads that a larger, more corporate organisation would carry. We are leaner, more agile and can adapt much better to market requirements.”
In my tour of the manufacturing and logistics facility, I could really see those quality controls for myself. The environment is remarkably clean and clearly very well organised, and there is evident attention to detail throughout the operation.
“We are also driving an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) agenda, which is not just about products but the entire organisation,” says Phil, adding, “Yes, our products are recyclable, but the way we run our business is very much on this sustainable and socially responsible basis. We invest in renewable energy, we are actively researching more eco-based materials, and we have several schemes in place to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Metamark also runs some important social programmes. Phil explains, “We look to support local and national charities to help make a real difference. We recently donated £10,000 to the food bank here in Lancaster & Morcombe and will be supporting more national charities, specifically around cancer and Alzheimers over the coming year.”
In conclusion, Phil reflects on his first six months and the exciting challenge ahead: “I feel honoured to be working in such a dynamic and forward-thinking company. We have some ambitious growth plans for the coming years, and I am very confident we have all the component parts to deliver this. We have great products, great people, great processes, and we are rapidly forming some great partnerships worldwide.”
