Have you ever wondered what the industry's influential figures have on their desks? From a signed rugby ball to a guide to the 17th Edition, you can tell a lot about a person by their desk.
Place of Birth: Oxford
Education and Training:
- Apprenticeship with Darke & Taylor
- A,B,&C City & Guilds, Oxford College
Employment:
- Electrician – Darke & Taylor
- Estimator – Darke & Taylor
- Contract Manager - Darke & Taylor
- Contracts Director - Darke & Taylor
- Managing Director - Darke & Taylor
- 2012-2013 President – Electrical Contractors Association (ECA)
Future Goals for the Company: To enhance and maintain the company ethos of 'Quality and Commitment' through its strong directly employed workforce. “We are not only surviving at the moment, we are flourishing,” said Paul. With Darke & Taylor’s wide client base, the company has work in sectors that have remained buoyant through the tough economic times,and over the years it has expanded into enviromental, maintenance, and data networks through its technical services department.
Future Goals for the Industry: Securing the future of the industry with training. Darke & Taylor is proud of its extensive in-house training programme. “Training is important for this industry,” said Paul. “Yes, there is a cost involved, but it makes good commercial sense and we are here to make money. If we don’t train, we’ll have no future electricians.”
Morning Ritual: Paul likes to start his day off with rhubarb yogurt and a cup of green tea. His healthy beverage choice is due to his wife “persuading him over the years”.
Favourite Song: Don’t You Forget About Me – Simple Minds
Favourite Movie: The Italian Job (1969) and A Good Year
1. Photo of Founder John Darke: John passed away in 2004 and Paul keeps this photograph in his office as a reminder of where the company came from.
2. Rugby Ball: Paul secured this sport paraphernalia at an industry charity event. Along with last year’s ECA President, Alun Pearson, Paul has a mutual love of rugby. “Unlike Wales, England won this World Cup,” teased Paul. This ball was signed by Martin Johnson in 2003’s Rugby World Cup held in Australia.
3. Environmentally Friendly Darke & Taylor Bag: The company became ISO 14001 registered in 2009, well before the industry really embraced environment management systems and standards. “We saw there would be a market for saving energy, so we made a move towards solar PV and LED light replacement. We now do the whole spectrum of energy saving technologies, which lead to cost reduction in a building and also benefits the environment.
4. 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations and the ECA Guide to the 17th Edition: Kept in “one little neat folder”, Paul has both the Wiring Regs and its ECA guide handy to refer to when technical questions arise.
5. JIB Handbook 2012: Darke & Taylor employs people under the JIB terms and conditions. Paul believes that this handbook is filled with a vast amount of information and always has it on or near his desk.
6. CDs (including Faithless, Kings of Leon and Black Eyed Peas): Paul likes to play music when he is at the office during the evening or on weekends.
7. Four Generations of McNaughton Males: This photograph was taken at Paul’s parents’ house last summer and includes Paul and his father, son and two grandsons. “Four generations of McNaughton males probably fills dread into a lot of people,” joked Paul. Paul’s son, Stuart, also works for Darke & Taylor.
8. Photographs of Wife and Two Daughters: The photo of Paul’s wife, Karen, was taken at their wedding. The photo of Paul’s eldest daughter, Kate, was taken at a photo shoot in London. The photo of Paul’s youngest daughter, Alyce, was taken at her school.
9. McNaughton Tartan Family Crest: This family crest and tartan inlaid in glass is a reminder of Paul’s heritage. The crest states: “I hope in God”.
10. Toy Gun: When Paul was starting out as an estimator at Darke & Taylor, this toy gun was jokingly used to keep him in check. If he did something wrong, a plastic sucker was shot at him. This was strictly in good fun (and no one was injured), but the gun has now retired to Paul’s office as it can’t be used anymore with health and safety rules in place.
11. iPhone: Paul uses his iPhone to stay connected when on the go. “You can’t operate in business without modern communication technology,” said Paul.
12. Company Website: Found at www.darkeandtaylor.co.uk, here you can find out more about Darke & Taylor’s electrical services, people and projects.
13. ECA Diary: Paul uses Outlook’s electronic diary, but finds the ECA Diary handy because of its information about members and the association.
14. ECA Business Card: Paul was recently inaugurated as the 2012-2013 ECA President and this is his new business card.