Team talk with John Matthews

3 min read time
As we continue our monthly Team Talk chats, we spoke to John Matthews, Head of Procurement, Logistics and Warehousing at Willerby.

John joined Willerby in July 2018 in a temporary role to support a major procurement project, before taking on his permanent position two months later.

Q. Tell us about your job and what it involves.

A. I take care of all inbound materials required for Willerby to produce its holiday homes. This includes everything we buy, such as chassis, timber, furnishings, electrical goods and fixtures and fittings. It’s about getting the right materials from the right suppliers to the right specifications at the right time.

Q. What’s the best thing about your job?

A. Working with a great team of people. We have teams for procurement, supplier quality assurance, planning and warehousing, and we all work together to create an end-to-end supply chain to make the job possible. The team draw on their expertise whenever a challenge arises and we’re good at pulling together.

Q. What does being part of the Willerby team mean to you?

A. I’m proud to work at Willerby. It’s a great company to work for because you’re given responsibility and there is a ‘can do’ culture. I try to be an authentic leader and I wouldn’t expect anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. I get involvement and buy-in from the team and we take the best course of action to get the best result for Willerby.

Q. If you didn’t work for Willerby and you could do any job in the world, what would it be?

A. I’d be a sports psychologist. I’m not much of a sportsman, but reading books by some of the great managers shows how they draw on psychologists to bolster their team. It’s about having mental toughness and resilience, and it’s interesting to look at what it takes to achieve the best performance.

Q. What’s your secret claim to fame?

A. I went ice skating with Elle Macpherson about 15 years ago. There was an ice rink at the Natural History Museum in London and I was there with my family and she was there with hers. I had a quick chat with her and skated alongside her for a little bit.