| Joe
Stevenson (above), Politics, Philosophy and Economics,
Oxford. Joined Precious Metals Division in 1995.
'I
wanted to work in industry, for a company that actually makes
things. Johnson Matthey's high technology focus and international
presence really appealed - and I haven't been disappointed.
I was pleased to be put straight into a real job, contributing
to the business from day one. This was much less daunting
than it might have been because of the great support I received
from my colleagues.
'My
first job was in customer service, first for chemicals,
soon moving to the process catalyst business. In this
role I had to respond to technical and commercial enquiries
from every corner of the chemical industry and deal with
every part of our business, from development to production,
accounting to shipping. I used my German, kept up my
interest in technology and experienced plenty of customer
contact and early responsibility.
After
a couple of years, I was given responsibility
for sales of process catalyst in
the UK and Ireland. Industrial sales
are very personal: I had to know
every process that could use our
product and the people responsible
for those processes. The key to success
is understanding what is really required.
The combination of technology and
human relationships was very rewarding. My
next job was as Business Manager
for our products and services for
the pharmaceutical industry, a challenging
job in a very important market for
us. With this market focus came responsibility
for a wider range of products and
global market development. My
current job is as Product Manager
for emissions control catalysts for
non-road diesel machinery. The products
are very different to the ones I
sold before and I have enjoyed learning
a new area. We are bringing existing
and new technologies to a new market
with particular challenges and it
is very exciting. There
have been common themes in all the jobs I have had at Johnson
Matthey: great training, friendly and supportive colleagues,
interesting and varied work, recognition of success. I have
been trusted to get on and do the jobs I have been given.
The company's commitment to the best technology and continuous
improvement means we are constantly developing our products
and service for customers. All this makes Johnson Matthey
a very satisfying company to work for.'
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