Tom Harper, Country Manager UK & Ireland, Elten Safety Footwear
What does the Health & Safety industry mean to you?
What I love about this industry is that it’s always evolving, there are always new standards, materials or methods to learn and educate people about.
What made you want to work in the industry?
Safety footwear has forever been a very personal peace of safety equipment, with so much choice and many standards I’ve always enjoyed what it takes to take a product from design to someone wearing them on their feet.
Footwear can really get people engaged with its technicality, people really do learn something new when they understand more about the product.
If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
I wouldn’t consider myself an intelligent person but since learning my field I have surprised myself, so my advice would be: Just because you don’t understand something don’t let that stop you leaning more about it.
Describe something funny that has happened to you recently, either personally or professionally?
During a trip away to Germany I came across what appeared at the time to be a hotel which didn’t offer its taller guests big enough duvets.
It wasn’t until the next morning when a colleague asked about my night and then explained that I don’t need to curl up like a baby all night. All I had to do was turn the duvet around the other way!
What would you say are the three most appropriate traits that define you?
I’m a sucker for detail and love to learn how and why. I’m my own worst critic at times and put myself under undue pressure. I give people few chances and even after the last one the sales person in me still reacts like they’ve let me down.
What’s the most important trend you see happening today?
The safety market is continually changing but today’s customers are just after a product with added value, it’s almost like a customer can evaluate your product based on so many factors, many without even considering the product first.
If you didn’t work in Health & Safety, what would you be doing?
I enjoy being front and centre and teaching new things to people, I almost get a little bit of internal buzz when I see someone is so intrigued by what I’m saying. So, I would most likely find so much job satisfaction from teaching.
What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your CV? I spent many years in social care between the ages of 4 and 8 and grew up on one of the largest social housing projects in central England.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Before I was in the safety industry I spent many years managing people, and I have to say that I would like to experience managing people again.
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