Page 14 - HW May-June 2020

hard news
The passing ofanera–
RIP Ian Gilespie
With the passing of Ian Gillespie last month, the hardware industry has lost another icon.
A former Royal NZ Navy man, Ian worked for 25 years as CE Lawford’s Wellington rep before retiring late last year, reluctantly, aged 74.
CE Lawford MD, David Lunny, says of the loss: “Yes – we have lost our friend Ian. Everyone at Lawford’s would count him as a friend – he had a great ability to make you feel that way!”
Well known for his legendary sense
of humour and his willingness to get involved, “A visit from Ian would brighten up anyone’s day!” says David.
“He was one of a kind and always had us in stitches with his many stories, most not ones you could publish!” adds CE Lawford colleague, John Sim.
Ian Gillespie was “one of the last true old-style representatives,” says long time former customer, Paul Hammond (now retired from Nees Hardware & Building Materials, trading as Mitre 10 MEGA, Petone, Upper Hutt and Porirua).
Highly regarded, well respected and valued by hardware retailers around the Lower North Island, right up until his retirement, Ian would gather samples, catalogues and specials from his car, load them into a shopping trundler and then head in-store to do face-to-face business.
“Ian was a guy who valued his customers and considered himself an active member of their business,” says Paul Hammond.
“He knew their stock holdings, knew what they were about and was always looking for items that would blend with their existing stock ranges and add value to their o ering.”
Ian Gillespie will be greatly missed.
Movers & shakers
AFTER NO LESS
than 26 years’
service with
Selleys NZ,
National Sales
Manager Phil
Ayling, has
retired. Darren
Newland,
Selleys NZ Country Manager, says Phil has been “an integral part of the Selleys NZ business for 26 years. In his time,
he ensured the Selleys NZ business delivered outstanding year on year sales results and assisted in winning multiple customer Supplier of the Year Awards. Phil has made the incredibly hard decision to retire from the business he is so passionate about. I want to personally thank Phil for his support during our time together, I will certainly miss drawing on his incredible knowledge.” Phil’s replacement will be announced in due course and we wish him well in his retirement.
Meanwhile, over at competitor Sika NZ, Ian Drew, long-
time Sika NZ Technical Sales Rep, retired at the end of March. Ian clocked just
over 21 years with Sika looking after the Nelson, Marlborough and Christchurch regions. One of his many strengths
(and hard to replace!) was his broad knowledge of Sika’s extensive product ranges. Sika says of Ian: “He was a real gentleman and was well-liked by all, always taking the time to help everyone, including his colleagues. Ian managed to keep most of his natural hair colour so always looked
younger than
he was, which surprised those who asked if
he was retiring early! Enjoy those golden years
Ian, you deserve them!”
Staying with Sika NZ, Julie Pike (photo bottom left) is the company’s newly appointed Marketing & Communications Manager, following the retirement of Duncan Robertson in April. “I’m
excited to take
on the new
role,” says Julie.
“Having been
part of Sika for
over 25 years in
various roles, I’ll
be bringing a lot
of experience
and commitment to the table – a great foundation for building trust with our customers and growing the Sika brand.”
Well known around the industry for his media strategies and campaigns, for his part, on his Linkedin page Duncan Robertson says he’s been “fortunate to have been part of an exceptional team at Sika NZ”. From the team at NZ Hardware Journal, tight lines Duncan!
Former Carters marketer, Julie Green, is now Marketing Manager for the Child Cancer Foundation. Julie was Carters’ marketing go-to for four years (2011-2015), before which she was with PlaceMakers, rst as Business Solutions Marketing Manager and then as Trade Marketing Manager.
Janine omson (photo above) is shipping container supplier Royal Wolf ’s new National Account Manager for New Zealand. Previously SME Sales Manager Northern Region at Waste Management NZ, she comes to the new role armed with 20+ years’ experience in the services industry with a reputation for e ective team and account management.
12 NZHJ | MAY/JUNE 2020
MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz