MEET THE TEAM | Alan Crook, Managing Director

Alan has worked at Cottam for over 20 years, and in March this year was promoted to Managing Director…

• Can you describe your role…

As the Managing Director my role is to support the leadership team to implement our business plan.

• What do you like about working here?

My favourite thing is the people I work with. Our team are committed, loyal, and they want the company to be successful.

• What’s your favourite Cottam memory?

Something that stands out was leading the move from our old Sunderland site to our (then brand new) Hebburn site. I was responsible for planning the move, which was a challenging but enjoyable job.

When we moved to Hebburn we had an open day and invited our suppliers, customers and other stakeholders including people from the local council. David Miliband, who was a government minister and MP for South Shields at the time, visited as part of the open day and made a brush with our engineer, Eddie. The open day provided us with some good exposure and helped to introduce us to the South Tyneside business community.

Also, I am the first Managing Director at Cottam Brush who’s not a Cottam family member. This is a big responsibility but I’m very proud to lead the company.

• What would be your dream job if you didn’t work at Cottam?

When I served my time as an engineering apprentice I tried different trades as part of the apprenticeship such as machining, welding, and electrical. I wanted to do electrical engineering but the company where I worked at the time wanted me to go into fitting and turning.

My dream job, though, would be to be manager of Sunderland AFC (although I probably wouldn’t last long!

• What do you like doing in your spare time?

I like watching football and spending time with my four grandchildren.

• What’s your greatest achievement?

My biggest achievement would be getting my MBA at age 50. I set myself a goal to do a degree by the time I was 50 and I did it!

I would also say having two jobs that have each lasted over 20 years. I’ve been at Cottam for over 21 years, which I think is quite rare nowadays.

• What’s your favourite place to visit?

I think that would be Bermuda. It’s a relaxed place to be and I found it laid back and friendly.

• If you had a super power, which one would it be?

I would like to have teleportation – if I had needed to go to America, I could just be there.