Who got that job?

Operations manager, Lighting Direct - Were you one of the 21 people who applied forthis job and wondered who got it?

Steve Snoad leaped at the chance to work at Lighting Direct.

"It was a change of direction and a challenge," says the Aucklander, aged in his mid-30s.

As operations manager he will be responsible for "getting things running smoothly, and managing and looking after the support for the branches in all aspects."

Although he has worked in the electrical and specifying markets for 11 years - Philips and Rexel are two companies listed on his resume - Mr Snoad most recently part-owned software company Flashpoint, but has just sold his share.

Lighting Direct bills itself as the largest importer of lighting in New Zealand, with 20 stores nationwide. The company wants Mr Snoad, who will be reporting to Lighting Direct's general manager, to be the eyes and ears of the retail sector of the business.

He will be on the road frequently to Wellington and the South Island, keeping an eye on the business of 20 branch managers and their staffs.

The lighting business, he says, has become highly competitive, and has changed a lot since the days when lighting in a home consisted of plain batten brackets teamed with bland china lampshades.

"What we'd like to see now is people investing in a place, and not putting lighting at the end of the list - putting it at the front."

He says homeowners in recent years have delighted in the startling effects the use of light and shade can have on their living areas.

Pope Personnel consultant Linda Pope says she received about 50 or 60 applications.

Mr Snoad was chosen from a shortlist of six.