Sika is a global specialty chemicals company that develops and produces systems and products for bonding, sealing, waterproofing, reinforcing and protecting. In the UK, it operates from four strategic manufacturing sites and its extensive product portfolio includes industrial flooring, roofing, concrete admixtures, waterproofing and mortars alongside its core range of high-performance adhesives, sealants, cleaning products, woodcare, tiling adhesives, plumbing supplies, foams, fillers and more.
Driven by a ‘customer first’ ethos, Sika says it constantly invests in its range of solutions to meet the needs of today’s rapidly evolving construction sector while also supporting the UK’s dedicated network of merchants at the same time.
PBM speaks with Wayne Angelo, Head of Sales at Sika.
Q: How did you get into the industry and to your current position?
A: I started my working life as a builder and when I decided I didn’t want to work outside in the cold anymore, I looked for other opportunities within the construction industry as it’s a sector I know and love. I discovered a passion for sales which has served me well ever since!
I’ve had sales roles at all levels, working my way up to my current position as Head of Sales at Sika where I’ve been for the last 17 years, having started as a Business Development Manager.
This career journey gives me a full understanding of what drives our customers and how I can best support my team.
Q: How do you feel the industry has changed in recent years?
A: The sheer amount of change we’ve all experienced in the last three years has been phenomenal. I think it’s changed more in this short time than it did over the previous 14 years I’ve been at Sika, and it’s something we all need to react to quickly.
The market is now much more competitive than it was before, which can only be a good thing for the consumer. What the industry really needs right now is stability in the marketplace — in terms of pricing, supply and customer base.
Q: What do you see as the main challenges facing the merchant sector?
A: Merchants are dealing with the perfect storm of cost price increases coupled with the cost of living crisis and supply chain issues, which has caused uncertainty and led to a flat market. This challenge is affecting everyone so could act as a leveller — and merchants who are more readily able to adapt will be in a much better position.
Merchants will need to embrace e-commerce fully and provide different types of sales, both on and offline, to keep their share of the market and retain their projected turnover.
“The market is now much more competitive than it was before, which can only be a good thing for the consumer. What the industry really needs right now is stability in the marketplace — in terms of pricing, supply and customer base.”
Q: What are the current challenges facing your company?
A: We’re facing the same issues as all other building materials manufacturers globally — that is supply chain issues and cost price increases. We’re working very hard to make sure we can provide consistency and deliver on value within our product offering.
While we’re still subject to the same issues as everyone else, we always aim to deliver what we say we will to our customers as we know how much reliability is valued. As a global manufacturer, we have greater stability which we can pass on to our customers along with access to different technology plus innovative products and solutions.
Q: How important do you feel the issue of sustainability is to the merchant sector?
A: It’s really important now and I think it’s only going to become more so. As a business our target is to achieve Net Zero status by 2050 but we recognise that there’s a lot of work to do in terms of educating the end user about sustainability and how it can be achieved so that we can all work together to drive improvements going forward.
Q: Which individual has influenced you most in your career?
A: For me it was my father-in-law, who we sadly lost this year. Although he didn’t work in the same industry his drive to succeed and support family, friends and others was truly inspirational. In everything he did he put other people first.
This made me look at what I could do to better myself to be the best person I could be — he drove me to be successful.
Q: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
A: Like a lot of people, my biggest career challenge came during COVID-19 and dealing with the sudden changes as a result of the nationally imposed lockdowns. I came into this industry to meet people and it’s one of the things I enjoy the most, so being forced to stay away and conduct all business remotely via a screen was something of a culture shock.
But as a team we quickly adapted our ways of working so that we could keep the sales team motivated during these tough times and I think the lessons we learnt have ultimately made us more efficient.
Q: What has been the highlight of your career to date?
A: When I took on the role of Head of Sales in 2018, it gave me the opportunity to take the business to the next level. And as well as seeing the commercial success of the business from a sales point of view, it’s been a real joy for me on a personal level to watch my team grow and develop too.
I’ve helped put new structures in place and create new teams and it’s been great to see the progress they’ve all made in that time.
Click the link to find out more about Sika’s range of products and support services for merchants.
A version of this feature appeared in the March edition of Professional Builders Merchant. Click or tap the link to read the full issue in digital format via the PBM website.
