John was 34 when he took up his first position with Danfoss Drives and his appointment marked the beginning of an era of sustained sales growth in Scotland and the North of England, which continues to this day. Something of a novelty for that time, John worked mostly from his home office in Edinburgh.
When he started working at Danfoss Drives, John was appointed as HVAC Sales Manager for Scotland. He spent the next twelve months expanding the company’s network of Scottish distribution partners and, as a result of his efforts and success, he became the North of England and Scotland Manager.
His career went from strength to strength and a few years later he was promoted to HVAC UK Manager for Danfoss Drives, a role which later developed into UK Drives Sales Manager. This new appointment paved the way for his promotion to UK Country Manager. During his time at the helm he oversaw the merger with VACON® Drives, which opened up new market opportunities in sectors that included steel, pulp and paper and marine.
“Throughout my career with Danfoss Drives I always knew that I was part of the history being made”, said John who is now Head of Sales UK & Ireland. “When I joined the team in the 90s, Danfoss was seen mainly as drives supplier into the food and beverage sector. It then expanded into the HVAC market and that expansion, in HVAC and in other sectors, is still going strong today.”
“The merger with VACON® in 2015 brought a wealth of knowledge and technology allowing us to become a major player in the heavy industries and marine markets. Over the years the two entities have merged into a single unit with tighter processes, an enhanced pricing structure and an established aftermarket offering.”
When asked about what he thought the next 25 years would hold for Danfoss, John replied: “Technology and the electronics developments have so far been consistent with the developments of Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought digitalisation to the fore and accelerated the need for remote service and support. In the light of this, my key predictions for the future are that sales teams up and down the country will be more desk-oriented, we’ll see more virtual meetings, and many after-market services will be delivered remotely.”
John is still extremely excited about the future and has no immediate plans for retirement. He is married with four grown up children and is currently looking forward to meeting his first grandchild in February 2021.