Who got that job?

By LIANE VOISEY

Were you one of the 80 people who applied for this job and wondered who got it?

Job title: Chief executive officer, New Zealand Plumbers Merchants.

Plumbing, says Alister Lawrence, is a wonderful mix of trade materials and fashion, as the products become more sophisticated.

It is also an industry with lots of opportunities.

Certainly it has provided opportunities for Lawrence since he qualified with an honours degree in civil engineering from the University of Canterbury and a diploma in business administration from Massey University.

Lawrence, 51, says New Zealand Plumbers Merchants (NZPM), which owns the Plumbing World chain that supplies goods and services for the plumbing trade and allied industries, has made huge progress in recent years and has the potential to build further.

"My past roles within the building materials sector and, in particular, kitchen and bathroom product manufacturing, have given me a good background in the industry," says Lawrence.

"I know many of the people and know a fair bit about NZPM from my previous dealings with them."

The former president of Kohler Australasia, chief executive of Englefield Industries, and managing director of Mercer Stainless, has had extensive international business development experience focusing on Asia and the Middle East.

"As the globalisation of industry progresses, that experience will be invaluable," says Lawrence.

Lawrence says the biggest challenge in his new role will be to form a strong development plan for NZPM, in a rapidly changing environment.

"Traditional distribution strategies may well need a total rethink, and the application of technology to simplify and streamline distribution channels presents many possibilities," he says.

New Zealand is a small market, but all the world's major brands are available here.

"This makes it hugely competitive, and the need for flexibility will become increasingly important."

Lawrence looks forward to getting to grips with the capability of the organisation.

He says working with the board and the senior management team to chart the future for the co-operative is an exciting prospect.