New colleague: Ian Longstaffe

We recently welcomed Ian Longstaffe to the Roto Western Europe team as Application Technician for the UK. Ian will be working with his colleagues in the sales team to provide support for customers in the UK and Ireland. He has been very busy learning about the product range, but Roto More caught up with him for a quick introduction:

Can you tell us a bit about your past career and any achievements?

For the last seven years I was with a prominent and respected composite door manufacturer here in the UK. I led the service engineering team. During that time I authored an installer training course that was accredited by GQA, so I was very pleased to get that level of endorsement. I also wrote an installation guide for doors. Both of these helped our customers get things right the first time and avoid problems later down the line. This is something I am looking forward to helping Roto customers achieve too.

What has motivated you to join Roto?

Roto is a very impressive company. I’ve been in the industry for quite a few years now and I was looking for something different, a way to freshen up my perspective. I wanted to work with new products, and obviously Roto makes high quality products at the forefront of its sector. Also, I’ve never worked for such an international company and that was an interesting reason to want to work here too.

What was your view of Roto before you started?

I didn’t have a great knowledge other than it being a German brand known especially for tilt and turn systems. Although I did have some experience of encountering Roto tilt and slide patio systems as part of my work. When I saw the role advertised, I looked the company up and quickly learned how much Roto covers in terms of product range and global reach.

How has the reality compared to your expectations?

I’m four weeks in and still there’s a lot to learn! I had no preconceptions so came in with a fresh perspective. I’m very impressed by the colleagues: everyone has been very supportive and professional. There is a lot of experience and knowledge here: many of the team have been with Roto for the long-term. The training programme is fantastic.

What about Roto has most impressed you so far?

One thing that has made an impression is seeing how closely colleagues work, even when far apart geographically. There are teams made up of people in different countries in Europe, working together, collaborating really well.

Can you tell us a couple of things you most enjoy doing outside of work?

I’ve so many hobbies, I don’t know how to fit it all in. Motorbikes are a big one. I’ve owned many over the years and now have a sports tourer. I’m interested in all motorsports. I play golf a lot – the fact that my local golf club is only half a mile from home helps. My wife and I like to travel as much as we can for holidays abroad and home – we have a travel caravan for the latter. My biggest passion is my local football club Gainsborough Trinity FC. It’s a local club run by volunteers. Our home ground The Northolme is the oldest in the world to have been used continuously by a single club.

What are you looking forward to over the next few months?

Fensterbau is where focus will be for the next 6 weeks. I’m gaining as much knowledge as possible, tapping into the wisdom of Alan and Dave [Alan Couper and Dave Smith]. E-campus is also a brilliant tool and I am learning a lot from it. After that, I’m looking forward to getting out there meeting people, visiting customers.