Page 13 - BOSS Today Issue 24

development. It ain’t all about never forget it’s your customers keeps our eyes and ears to the MW: That sounds like
price: if it is, give up now! who pay your salary, so engage ground; it’s a place that we an addiction!
with them at every opportunity. can go to, a place where we
MW: It seems that the Finally, support consolidation can talk and share ideas. SM: No, it’s just an excuse to
UK OP industry is facing – not just the big boys coming keep fit! Admittedly, my times
more amalgamations together, but the smaller players, MW: Finally, please can are getting slower with age,
and integrations. How too. With scale comes value! you tell me something but it’s not about the time, it’s
do you see the structure about yourself that about taking part and giving
of the industry in five MW: A business the size others might not know? something back.
years’ time? of office2office may not
need to take advantage SM: Well, this year I MW: So is next year
SM: It will, quite simply, be of all the services that completed my ninth London going to be your tenth
unrecognisable. Nobody denies BOSS has to offer its Marathon. In my previous and last?
that overcapacity and reducing members, but can you company we used to sponsor
margins will force a shortening sum up why you have a charity called Enham SM: Every year at the end I say
of the supply chain to market. been steadfast members Trust, a WW2 charity which “Never again!”, but then the
Unless scale is capitalised on, for the last seven years? was originally dedicated to invite comes through and they
the costs will exceed gross rehabilitating injured military say “Go on, Simon!”, so off we go
profit. I sense that the traditional SM: I admire what BOSS offers personnel. So we were asked again...
barriers of ‘Thou shall not be a in terms of back office and to run the London Marathon
direct seller and wholesaler’ will support structures, and think in aid of that. When I came
blur further. The ball is rolling that its members should take here seven years ago, I just
downhill and no-one is going to advantage of them more. For carried on… and most of the
stop it now… us, BOSS is collegiate: it’s a group directors have now run
great networking forum; it it with me!
MW: Speaking of the
future, do you have a
message for the younger
generation of OP ABOUT SIMON MOATE
industry managers?

Simon Moate’s career to date has seen him involved
SM: I have four messages. Firstly, in a mixture of FMCG (Coca-Cola, Aramark), support
encourage entrepreneurism: services and FM (Johnson Service Group and
there isn’t nearly enough of it. SGP Property Services). A self-confessed ‘sales and
Secondly, embrace change: strategy man’, he has now been with office2office for
don’t be afraid of trying seven years, “Which draws upon all my experiences,
something new, but make sure and is still great fun!”
you take ‘calculated risks’. Thirdly,

October/November 2014 | BOSS TODAY 13

60 sec interview.indd 3 25/09/2014 14:30