SD Team has appointed Stewart Montgomery as its new Operations Manager for Scotland. Stewart takes on the role at a time of exponential growth for the business, which has its Scottish base in Glasgow and under his new leadership is adding cosmetic repair and finishing services to its offering.

Historically, SD has worked primarily with house builders, insurance and commercial businesses to provide expert sealant application in Scotland, including healthcare and education facilities.

Now adding cosmetic repairs to our expertise in the region, Operations Manager Stewart will bring with him 11 repair technicians to join the growing SD Scotland Team. He will also be recruiting for further roles across the country.

Having over 20 years’ experience in the repairs industry, Stewart brings a wealth of knowledge on the construction landscape. Beginning his career as a cosmetic repairs technician, he has developed a versatile skillset and established time-honoured relationships within the sector throughout his career.

As part of his new role, Stewart will lead a large team of fully qualified cosmetic repairs technicians and explore expansion opportunities for the business’ Scottish division.

On his new appointment, Stewart said: “I’m delighted to be joining SD as its new Operations Manager for Scotland, and to be bringing so many talented repairs experts with me into the fold.

“In my 20 years in the industry, I have worked with most leading names in the Scottish construction sector and am fortunate enough to have a great network of contacts that I look forward to working with as part of my new role.

“Building on an already established and innovative business is a fantastic opportunity and the next few months at SD will be exciting ones, with plenty of new projects on the horizon. I intend to make SD one of the biggest players in the Scottish cosmetic repairs industry.”

As part of our growth plans for the coming months, SD is recruiting for further new employees to join the team in Scotland, across both sealants, cosmetic repairs and glass polishing.

Nick Jones, Managing Director at the SD Group of Companies, added: “We’re very excited to have someone with Stewart’s career history leading the charge in Scotland. After two decades in the industry, Stewart knows cosmetic repairs inside and out and will be a huge asset to us when it comes to customer relationships and finding the best repairs solution for every contract.

“This is a very promising time for our division in Scotland, thanks not only to Stewart’s leadership but also to our ongoing recruitment drive, bolstered by the ten experts our new Operations Manager brings with him. With a now strengthened team, this is a new chapter for SD as we prepare to bring new business and yet more career opportunities to the region.”

Find out more about our cosmetic repairs services here.

 

As part of the SD group of companies, we provide a full range of marine interior design and build services to cruise operators worldwide, and will now be strengthening our offering in the marine sector with the addition of Simon at the helm.

Having spent over a decade working in the marine outfitting industry, Simon Dawkins’ move to SD follows his role as Director of Sales for Trimline, where he led the sales and marketing division and advised on all commercial aspects of the business for a number of years.

Nick Jones, Managing Director at SD, said on the appointment: “Simon is an extremely well-respected and experienced figure in the cruise industry and I can think of no better person to be at the forefront of our marine interiors outfit. He’s worked with some of the best names in the business, and we’re delighted to have his expertise on board.

“He already has ambitious plans for the marine interiors division and I look forward to seeing what the coming months bring for this team.”

SD Marine Interiors are supported by over 120 full-time hard surface repair technicians, seven distribution sites across the UK and a wider team of over 200 providing sealants and outfitting services for cruise operators including Windstar, AIDA and Phoenix Reisen.

On his new role, Simon said: “I’m delighted to be coming into the fold here at SD – this is a pioneering business in the repairs and outfitting industry and I’m looking forward to forging a new path with the support of Nick and the team behind me.

“We’re expecting to add some new faces to the marine interiors team very shortly, and given that the wider SD team is very focused on sustainable methods of construction, I’m eager to explore new opportunities within the cruise sector for us to take as green an approach as possible. Everybody wants a more sustainable future but there is still work to be done, and I’m keen to make that a top priority for the business going forward.

“In the meantime, we have a number of exciting projects lined up and will be in Miami this June for my inaugural Interiors Expo with SD, which I’m very much looking forward to.”

Launched in 1973, SD teams and Cosmetic Repairs originated as a family run business in Somerset that specialised in the supply and application of sealant.

Since then, it has steadily grown to be one of the largest finishing and repairs specialists in the UK with nine offices across England, Scotland and Wales.

In 2019, the SD team took its experience and knowledge of sealants, resins and hard surface repairs and developed a leading outfitting service for the marine sector, expanding to include a full range of marine interior trades and services.

For more information, visit https://www.sdmarineinteriors.com/.

The company, which provides sealant application and cosmetic repair for house builders, commercial, insurance and marine businesses, has seen a rapid growth in the past three years. Steve’s appointment will further strengthen the cosmetic repairs team in the North West.

Steve has a long and varied career in the construction industry and worked in the Middle East and UAE before moving to Leeds.

Steve said: “After spending 12 years in the military I moved into business working for a paint manufacturer for 10 years, looking after nearly 200 trade stores. I then worked with various companies within the construction sector selling power tools and plumbing supplies before moving into selling consultancy services for the industry leading Sports Turf Research Institute.

“In 2013 I moved to the Middle East selling consultancy and training courses into the hotel and leisure industry, which gave me a great insight into the way the industry operates. I also worked with SMEs across all market sectors from the UAE and the UK, selling products and services into education, facilities management and construction.”

Steve moved back to the UK in December 2019 and worked within the cosmetic repair business focusing on corporate accounts until he joined the SD Team.

Nick Jones, Managing Director at SD Team, said of Steve’s appointment: “Steve has sales in his blood and comes with a wealth of experience that will be of huge benefit to the SD Team. Having worked across so many sectors his knowledge and experience is going to be of great benefit to us and his colleagues in the North West and Yorkshire.

“We are really pleased to welcome him to the SD Team to reinforce our foothold in the North West. In the past three years we’ve launched services in Manchester, Yorkshire and Leeds and Steve’s appointment as Business Development Manager will help us expand further in these areas, as well as allow us to use his network and knowledge of the retail sector to secure work in this area as lockdown lifts further.”

Steve added: “I am enjoying my time with the SD Team as I believe we are now moving forward into different sectors which will enhance our current portfolio and lead to further opportunities across multiple sectors.”

SD teams has been involved in a number of notable projects in the North West including work on Liverpool FC’s training ground and Aintree racecourse in Merseyside, Lincoln Cathedral and the Dewsbury and District Hospital.

For more information on recruitment opportunities, visit our vacancies page.

Kate has a wealth of experience in construction sales and cosmetic repairs, having spent 10 years in the industry. Her career has seen her excel as the top sales manager at Plastic Surgeon, where she won the biggest order in the company’s history and we are delighted to have her on board.

She joins SD at a time of continual growth despite the industry as whole having weathered a worldwide pandemic. We are very proud to have continued to recruit for sealant and repairs roles throughout the crisis, and to have been involved in the development of five emergency NHS hospitals.

This month, SD also launched a brand-new claims service for fulfilling buildings and home insurance claims, and Kate will now be joining us to head up the sales team that will drive the company forward through its next objective cycle.

SD teams’ Managing Director, Nick Jones, explained: “Kate joins the team at a very exciting time for our business, and we know she’ll be an asset as we look forward to our next period of growth.

“She brings with her a valuable skillset and a great deal of experience to our senior team, and with a decade of sales under her belt already we’re very proud to have her on board with us.”

On her new role, Kate said: “I’m delighted to be joining SD Cosmetic Repairs. The service that we provide our customers with is second to none and our repairs are excellent.  The last few months in the construction industry have been turbulent to say the least, but SD has weathered the storm fantastically and despite the circumstances, they have consistently provided jobs and fulfilled urgent work – it’s a pleasure to be joining them.”

Launched in 1973, SD originated as a family run business in Somerset that specialised in the supply and application of sealant. Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of the UK’s largest repairs and sealant companies, with nine offices across England, Scotland and Wales.

For more information on recruitment opportunities visit the vacancies page, or to find out more about our cosmetic repairs click here.

We have seen rapid growth in the past two years having created 50 jobs, and we’re soon to be recruiting in the north as part of our latest expansion plans.

At the helm of this will be Senior Contracts Manager, Craig Clegg, who has 18 years’ experience in the sealants industry working across a number of leading businesses in the sector. His recent move to SD follows four years at Sustainable Services, where he launched and developed its sealants offering – establishing the company as a leading mastic application provider across the north and the midlands.

Nick Jones, Managing Director at SD teams, said on the appointment: “Craig has invaluable experience in the mastic industry and having led on and developed the sealants arm of a business in the past, there’s no better person to help SD establish itself further in the north.

“In the last two years we’ve launched services in Manchester, Leeds and wider Yorkshire and we’ve found that there are so many great opportunities in these regions, for new and exciting projects, for recruitment and for building a lasting relationship with contractors. We’re very excited to be expanding our offering here, particularly with someone as experienced as Craig at the helm.”

The SD teams division provides mastic application across a range of sectors including residential, hotel, catering and corporate buildings, and is currently recruiting for experienced applicators UK-wide.

On heading up the expansion, Craig said: “Building on an already established and innovative business is a fantastic opportunity and I am delighted to be joining SD teams at this exciting time in the company’s history.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked alongside some leading names in the industry, and I’m really looking forward to a new chapter where there is so much potential to bring new business and new career opportunities to the north.”

For more information on recruitment opportunities, visit our vacancies page.

We couldn’t resist the chance to grill him on his experiences of working at SD and the changes he’s seen over the past three decades.

How did you begin your career with SD?

When I started, the company was a much smaller entity and I joined up as a trainee sealant applicator in Bristol. There were only around 12 applicators at the time, and of course now we have 95 applicators so it’s changed a lot!

Was it long before you started to develop within the company?

Not long at all – after five years at Bristol, I moved on to work in the Cotswolds and after a brief spell came back to Bristol as a Contracts Manager. It wasn’t long after that when I returned to the Cotswolds once more to run the entire region. Because the business was so successful even back then, there were a lot of opportunities to develop and thankfully I think that’s something which is as true today as it was then.

What made you want to take on sales?

I worked on the production side of things for the majority of my time with SD, and it wasn’t until around three years ago that I started running the sales side of things from our head office in Chepstow. Although I’ve always loved what I was doing, it felt like a good move for me to try something new and I was lucky enough to have been in a business where I could explore different roles.

What’s an average day like for you now?

I currently manage nine Sale staff members, and because I’ve been here for so long I tend to have a lot of people coming to me if there’s a problem so I do a lot of fire fighting! I’m in the office twice a week and then spend three days pricing up jobs and surveying projects, but it’s a really varied role which is why I love it as no two days are the same.

And what has been your proudest moment at SD?

My proudest moment has to be appearing on Challenge Anneka in 1994, when we helped a group in Burnham-on-Sea to build a lifeboat house in 72 hours. The show ended up being a lot of fun and I made some very dashing appearances sporting a floppy perm and an earring.

But there have been lots of proud moments throughout; we have a great team and the figures go up month on month so it’s a really good place to be.

 

If you’d like to hear more about career opportunities with SD teams, visit our vacancies page.