“My main focus is on helping grow CWE into a £10 million+ business”.
Dave Bates, CWE’s Commercial Director, describes himself as an ambitious person – and based on his vision for the future of the Crowle firm, it’s a trait that transcends his personal and professional thinking. Speaking about his journey through the ranks at CWE, Dave highlights how the company’s focus on supporting its employees has helped him climb the ladder from coupler fitter to commercial director. He also reveals how CWE is going from strength to strength – and where it’s heading next.
Question: You’ve had quite a story, joining CWE as a coupler fitter, and recently being promoted to commercial director – tell us about your journey and how you’ve used what you’ve learned along the way in your current role?
Dave: It’s been a very enjoyable journey… it has to have been enjoyable, right, for me to have been here 18 years! During this time, I’ve had several different supervisors and bosses at CWE and I can confidently say I have learned something from all of my predecessors. This has helped me progress into my current position.
I’ve also been given many opportunities to grow by undertaking external training and achieving a level 7 Diploma. So stuff like this has really helped me to develop.
On top of this, I’ve always been ambitious and looking for the next opportunity to progress. When I’ve moved into new jobs or roles, no sooner do I start before I look for a way to climb the ladder further.
Question: How have current and new customers responded to the changes at CWE over the last year?
Dave: Very positively. We continue to grow from strength to strength with our customers, which is just fantastic because building solid relationships with our customers means a lot to me. Once you achieve a solid relationship, conversations and projects become very comfortable and that’s how it should be.
Question: What are some of the things that you are focused on, and that your customers are asking for, going forward?
Dave: My main focus is on helping grow CWE into a £10 million+ business, improving our scope on core works so we can offer our customers an even better service,truly becoming that one-stop shop. We want to be that supplier who differs from our competitors and does exactly what we tell our customers we will do. Also I’m focussed on our employees, on helping lead and support the team, without them we cannot achieve any of the above.
