Have you ever wondered what the industry's influential figures have on their desks? From Korean masks to MCBs, you can tell a lot about a person by their desk.
Barry Glew, Siemens Country Division Lead (UK), Low and Medium Voltage
Place of Birth: Barrow-In-Furness, Cumbria
Education: First Class Honours in Electrical Engineering (Salford University)
Employment History:
- Electrical Apprentice, Vickers Shipbuilding (Barrow in Furness, UK)
- Management Trainee, Siemens AG (Erlangen, Germany)
- Production Manager, Siemens plc, Automation and Drives Division (Congleton, UK)
- Managing Director, Siemens Automotive (UK and Regensburg, Germany)
- Managing Director of Siemens VDO (Birmingham, UK)
- Managing Director of Electrium Sales Ltd (Cannock, Staffordshire)
- Managing Director, Siemens Building Technologies (Cannock, Staffordshire)
- Siemens Country Division Lead, Low and Medium Voltage Division UK (Cannock, Staffordshire)
Future Goals: To drive the business into new markets and segments and encompass new technology around smart grids and renewables.
“Siemens as a brand has massive power and recognition in the marketplace, which opens the door to create new opportunities. We need to keep however our bread and butter [residential sector], but keep driving towards new markets.”
Morning Rituals: Being a diabetic means a healthy lifestyle and early morning gym session. Barry arrives at work to a bowl of porridge, fruit and tablets (thanks to his much appreciated PA, Andree).
Favourite Song: Adele 21 – “The whole album”
Favourite Movie: White Christmas
“Christmas cannot start until me and the family watch White Christmas”
1. Family Photo: Barry keeps a photograph of his wife and two children on his desk. His wife, Alex, is described as “more than supportive”. Accompanying Barry to many work-related events, Alex enjoys being very social and involved in his career. Barry’s daughter, Francesca, is doing her Masters in Maths at York and in specialising in German. His 15-year-old son, Cameron, is also a high achiever and strong in German and mathematics. He is musically talented as well, playing both the piano and saxophone.
2. Wood Carving: This Chinese figurine was given to Barry as a celebratory gift from a Siemens supplier in China, where Siemens has over 40 companies.
3. Jaguar Figurine: Barry was given this iconic figurine when he was leaving his position as Siemens VDO Managing Director. This division was responsible for the design and manufacture of dashboards and centre consoles for Range Rover.
4. Construction News Magazine: Barry subscribes to this magazine because it offers him invaluable information about the industry. He is always looking for trends and new opportunities and this magazine keeps him in-the-know.
5. Siemens Technical German/English Dictionary: Barry’s 25 year career with Siemens has relocated him twice to Germany. His first two years with the company involved a management training course in Erlangen and he later moved to Regensburg with his family for a four-year secondment with Siemens. Barry and his family now speak fluent German. Despite this, being in a highly technical industry means Barry needs to refer to a German/English technical dictionary to make sure he is communicating and understanding all work matters precisely.
6. Calculator: Barry has an impeccable attention to detail and always likes to check his numbers. “I drive myself and others crackers,” says Barry about his detail-oriented ways.
7. Blackberry: Also known as “Kate”, this little piece of technology is joked to be the “other woman” by his family and workmates. With his busy schedule and constant travelling, Barry needs his Blackberry to stay up-to-date with emails and phone calls.
8. Traditional Indian Shoes: These Punjab shoes were given to Barry as a gift from a supplier in India. Much to everyone’s amusement, Barry sometimes slips them on when he visits a local Punjab restaurant near his home in Lichfield.
9. Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB): This product brings Barry and his team down to reality, so he keeps it on his desk. “It is a reminder of our products, our bread and butter,” says Barry. “It’s about the right quality and right cost levels – if you lose sight of that then it's game over.”
10. Korean Masks: This interesting piece of art was given to Barry in Korea, as he spent a lot of time in Asia benchmarking projects for Siemens.
11. Wire Lady: Barry was given this gift when Siemens Automotive sold its business to the Japanese company, Yazaki. Siemens Automotive manufactured cable harnesses for cars, including supplying to Ford in Brazil. A creative colleague from a plant in Lithuania made this wire lady from all the components that go into making a cable harness.