Under the spotlight:
Jo Evans, Managing Director
The ‘Tata Steel spotlight’ turned on me and asked me all sorts of questions that I’ve done my best to answer!
Maybe you’d like to know my thoughts on how construction and business is changing, or why we need to get to grips with landfill?
Or perhaps you’d just like to find out how a huge phone bill led me to a 26-year (and counting!) career in the steel industry – and what I’d originally been planning to do at university?
You can also access my articles about Building Systems and how we’re embracing the future of construction in the UK, helping to shape what sustainable buildings look like.
I’m the Managing Director of Building Systems, within Tata Steel UK, which is the position I’ve held since 2017.
I lead all our teams across Health and Safety, manufacturing, engineering, commercial and technical. We’re a market driven customer focused business, looking at innovation and commercialising new products and services, but reinventing and repurposing existing products to meet what the market needs also plays a key part of our innovation. I really see our role as helping to shape the future of sustainable buildings.
In 1996 I needed a summer job to pay off a huge phone bill I’d racked up!
I ended up on the sales desk at Precision Metal Forming in Cheltenham, a roll forming business owned by British Steel. The plan was to finish my A-Levels and go to university to do dentistry... but 26 years later I’m still here!
It means I’ve always known construction, working through technical sales and external sales, with a commercial remit. Then I moved more into supply chain, and into management roles. Ultimately, I’ve worked my way up in a really cool business.
I never envisaged running a whole business, so, to some extent it’s where I am now.
But I am incredibly proud of the time around 2008, I was Commercial Director then. The market crashed, and the business could have ended up closing its doors, it was a terrible time for all industries. We relocated two businesses, one from Gloucestershire, the other from Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, to Shotton in North Wales, where we are today.
Only five people relocated with the business, and we recruited a huge number of people from other industries, and whilst it was a bumpy journey, we slowly rebuilt it. It was an incredible thing to be part of, people reskilling, everyone with the same objectives to creating a great sustainable business in Shotton. The business has prospered, we have a great team and now the business has such exciting opportunities ahead.
The industry is really changing, and needs to. We're moving into construction platforms and modular building, which are completely different ways of doing things.
We're no longer just sending steel profile sheet out of the factory; we’re sending out complete systems. That’s really exciting.
The ‘car chassis’ sort of approach will really come into its own in the education and health sectors, where you get a lot of repeat builds. Standardisation won’t happen in all markets, but where it does steel can adapt well.
The world is changing massively too, and business is a very different landscape. People don’t stay in the same career for 20-plus years any more. It’s said people might have seven careers in their life. That’s a lot of knowledge potentially leaving the industry, but I’m also excited about seeing the business transform as different skills come in. For me, it’s about creating a place that people can thrive in.
How sustainable steel is, and how reusable steel products are. It’s amazing how many times you can do something different with steel.
People look at headlines – as we all do – and they say to me that the embodied carbon of our products is too high.
I ask them what they plan to use instead and then I ask them what will happen to it at the end of its life. The reuse factor with steel is a really interesting angle and it’s important that people understand the full story about materials.
We have to get away from landfill, and that’s where the reuse element will really come in.
As a responsible manufacturer, we also have to look at everything we’ve manufactured over the last 25 years and ask what will happen to it when those buildings start being demolished. As an industry, we need to be looking at alternatives to the easy option of throwing things in a skip and putting them in the ground.
I’m a sports person, sport is a real passion for me – I love rugby, football and hockey!
My grandfather played rugby union for Wales in the 1950’s and was a British Lion too. Such a gentle man with great values and that’s why my entire family has sport running through our veins! I’ve always been a spectator when it comes to rugby, but I’ve played hockey since I was eight, to county level. Slowing down a little now! Over the years I feel I have developed great people skills to manage such a broad team, I believe team sport has shaped me and made me the person I am today. Coaching is important to me, I spent many a weekend supporting & developing youngsters in hockey, one or two have played for GB which is amazing to watch. Children should be part of a team, whatever their ability, they learn so much more from that team experience..
It's really funny, because I don't know! I still have a real passion for what I do.
I love the construction industry, there is never a dull moment and so many great people.
However, the regeneration of local communities is interesting, and I’d like to give a bit back to the community.
I speak to local independent business owners where I live, and the town planning regime is a little outdated with their view of what people want from a town... I’d like to be part of the planning and development of towns and cities, helping them meet challenges and be part of how things are changing, rather than resisting that change.
I once starred in game show on ITV2 called Minute to Win it.
A new series (and was the last!) 7 hours of filming for a 30minute show. Slightly bonkers games and with Joe Swash as our team captain, it was a great day!
