RB: What is your favourite holiday destination?
RS: The Scottish Highlands. It is always a relaxed place to go, and it is beautiful even when the weather is bad.
RB: What car do you drive?
RS: An Audi A6 and a Dodge Ram motorhome.
RB: What are your hobbies?
RS: Walking, running, cycling, snowboarding and camping.
RB: How did you get into the industry?
RS: I started as an apprentice with ERF and love tinkering with cars, particularly old Volkswagens. I have been with MAN for 14 years. In an earlier role I volunteered for a placement at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan and was working for Rheinmetall Defence UK looking after the MAN vehicles as a field service representative. It was good to see them in operation and offering protection to the military.
RB: How would you encourage more young people into the industry?
RS: Show them what a fantastic and diverse industry it is. I have enjoyed being in it since my apprenticeship in the 1990s. When I started, apprenticeships were seen as something to do if you couldn’t get into university but today that is very different. The people we’re seeing on the MAN programmes are all keen individuals with a passion for what they are doing.
RB: What is the outlook for your sector of the market over the next year?
RS: Extremely difficult to predict, as I’m still fresh in my role. But it is an exciting time for MAN, with a number of new options that have been missing from our range for some time.
