Plastics moulding specialist Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd has recently announced the appointment of former Sales and Marketing Director, Emma Hockley, as Managing Director.
Emma Hockley was officially announced as Managing Director of Big Bear in September 2020, as part of a company-wide restructure. Since taking on the role, Emma has been developing a new strategy to shape the future of the business. A key focus of this is internal communications, designed to reassure staff and give them more insight into how the company is performing on a day to day basis, and to this end Emma has launched a new company monthly newsletter, and hosted the first of what will be will a quarterly business update to the entire staff.
“It’s important that our employees know how the business is performing, and where our successes and our challenges lie, so they have more visibility of what their contribution means to the business as a whole. I think that the feeling of being part of a wider team is good for morale and drives you to want the company to succeed.”
Big Bear is owned by Emma’s father, Gerald Bloom, and her appointment as Managing Director has shown a path for the long-term future of the company and given a clear succession plan.
“Becoming head of the business in 2020 was definitely a good learning experience!” says Emma. “We managed to remain open throughout all of the lockdown periods and overall we ended the year with a positive result. We are now looking forward to all of the new projects and developments we have planned for 2021.”
The opportunity for Emma to become Managing Director came about after being Sales and Marketing Manager, and then Sales Director, at the business for over 5 years. Although not from a manufacturing background herself (previously she headed up Buying & Marketing for Perfumery & Cosmetics at Harrods), Emma had the opportunity to work and interact with all functions of the business to understand how departments work together to achieve the company’s goals. For Emma, this is what drove her passion for the business and helped to grow the sales side.
In terms of what Emma has learned since working in the manufacturing industry and what advice she would offer to others looking to progress in their roles, Emma said:
“In manufacturing there is always something unexpected to deal with but ultimately you have to get good quality parts out of the door on time. Your success depends on your customer’s success, and strong partnerships with both customers and suppliers are critical. I have also learned to push that little bit harder when I get a “no” – because quite often you can turn it into a “yes”.
“As for advice, I will share what my boss used to say to me which was “…make your boss look good!” Having a strong team around you means that you can do your own job to the absolute best of your ability. So bring lots of energy, smile, and enjoy the challenge of what you are doing.”