Introducing our new UK Sales Manager for Network Power, Neil Blackwell

Last month, we were delighted to welcome Neil Blackwell to the Leoch team as our new UK Sales Manager for Network Power.

Neil brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked within the battery industry on and off for 3 decades! He has been brought onboard to focus on the network power industry, which encompasses telecoms, UPS (uninterruptable power supply) and renewable energy, including solar applications.

We spoke to Neil to find out more about his past career and why working for Leoch Battery UK was so appealing to him.

Could you tell us about your career so far?

I first began my career in the industry in 1989, cutting my teeth on battery van sales before moving rapidly into industrial battery applications. I then spent around 15 years working my way up in the industry, including two overseas postings in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

In the early 2000s I decided on a career change, so retrained as a heating engineer. From there, I ran my own company for some years, before deciding that I needed a different challenge, in a familiar industry.

On the periphery, I had always been keeping up an interest in the battery industry, and when the job as UK Sales Manager became available at Leoch, I knew I had to go for it.

What was the appeal of working for Leoch Battery UK?

This job is the perfect mixture of a new challenge, with some familiar elements there from my past experience working with batteries too. At Leoch, there is such an amazing range of batteries – it’s a company which really is on the cutting edge of technology. We have an exciting few years of technological advances ahead of us, and I’m very happy to be here right at the heart of it all.

How have you found your first weeks in the job?

Since being at Leoch, it’s been a very steep learning curve – in fact I’d describe it more as a hockey stick than a curve! But I’ve really enjoyed getting straight down to business and picking up responsibilities quickly. We have a great product offering and I’m enjoying getting to know our customers, both current and new ones.

I’m also delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside my wife Jayne, who is the Operations Director here for us at Leoch. Jayne and I met at the very first battery company I worked for, and our careers have been intertwined ever since. It wouldn’t work for every couple, but it does for us!

The job already feels very natural and I feel very much part of the team already. We have some exciting plans coming up, such as attending the NiBs Annual Battery Conference this month, which I’m looking forward to immensely.

To see our current vacancies within the Leoch Battery UK team, please click here.