Meet The Team
Click on an image to find out more about our experienced and talented team
Allan
Accounts
Originally from a manufacturing background, Allan is qualified in IT and Business Administration and is currently studying for his CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). As you might expect, he’s pretty handy with a spreadsheet and admits, with a due sense of embarrassment, he actually enjoys analysing raw data and producing reports, which is just as well really!
‘Handy’ is a word that sums Allan up nicely – for the last 4 years he’s been rebuilding his house around his growing family and can often be seen playing bass with bands in pubs and clubs along the East coast, although how he finds time to practice is something of a mystery.
Ashley
Chairman
The self-titled ‘old man’ of the business, Ashley is, of his own admission, 15 years past his official sell by date, but clings on as non-executive Chairman.
Being fired from a long career in the sign industry at 59 provided the opportunity for ‘a last roll of the dice’, co-founding Signwaves with son Mark in 1989. He considers his sixties and seventies the best years of his life - exhilarating, scary and hugely satisfying. He laid the foundations which proved sound and talented and energetic ‘youngsters’ did the rest, bringing the business to its pre-eminent position in the POP industry.
Ashley gets his kicks from strong balance sheets, which some would think quite sad, but nobody appears to feel sorry for him!
Becky
Sales
Having started in reception, Becky’s talent for talking quickly became obvious and she soon found herself in the sales team where she now looks after sign companies in the Midlands. Her background in holistic therapies brings some much needed serenity to the sales office, but not until all the orders are on! A true ‘local’, Becky’s spent her young years in and around Great Yarmouth, ‘spinning’ and dancing in her spare time and once performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre and the London Palladium.
Blessing
Human Resources
Bob
Finance and Commercial Director
Bob joined us since 1999 as Commercial Manager before rising through the ranks to become Operations and Finance Director.
With roots in purchasing and project management in the offshore industry, dipping his toes in POP came as a bit of a shock, but his extensive experience and a ‘cool, calm and collected’ approach under pressure saw him through.
Bringing about continuous improvements in the business, team work and problem-solving keep Bob happy in the office. And when he’s not? Household DIY, time with the family and sailing.
Cally
Sales
Having studied Law, Politics, Media and English Language at college, Cally went on to gain some valuable customer service experience before joining Signwaves in July 2010. Here she takes care of sign companies in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and South West England.
An avid equestrian, Cally spends much of her spare time with her horse Obe.
Carl
Sales
When Carl joined our young trade sales team in 2005, he was one of only three members. Five years later, he leads a sprightly team of 10. Born and raised in the Great Yarmouth area, Carl’s a local hero – he won the 1999 Great Yarmouth Sports Personality of the Year for basketball coaching and, more recently, resuscitated his dog after she bit through the lawn mower power cable!
With a ‘can do’ attitude, Carl regularly goes that extra mile for his customers (occasionally performing miracles!) and does his bit to enrich his colleagues lives by organising the weekly football session. Apparently, his playing style has been compared to that of Jamie Redknapp, although that’s where the similarity ends.
Carl
Purchasing
Taking pride of place in Carl’s well-stocked qualifications cabinet is not one but two degrees, the first in Physics from King’s College London and the second in Systems Engineering from the Open University. But it’s not all paper and no practice…
Initially a senior product designer and engineer, Carl has spent the last 15 years in the electronics sector, specialising in supply chain management, purchasing and cost-estimating – a very skilled hand for a hitherto vacant glove in our operations team.
Although his career has taken him as far afield as East Asia and North America, Carl is a local man at heart. Norfolk born and bred, he’s hit the more familiar ground of Signwaves running, as he manages purchasing and supply.
In his spare time,
Carl likes nothing more than a game of chess although, unlike his work, he
admits practice hasn’t made perfect! Carl also keeps his interest in science alive
by following developments in physics and cosmology.
Cheryl
Sales
Cheryl leads our bustling sales team, cracking the whip but with such charm and wit you’d barely notice. Cheryl’s infectious humour is renowned company-wide – many of the smiles you see here are thanks to her!
Graduating with a degree in Business Administration, Cheryl worked with Lotus before joining our accounts team 5 years ago. In search of a new challenge, she moved into a business development role and more recently took the brave leap to become overall Sales Manager. At the end of a chaotic day at the office, Cheryl likes nothing more than escaping to the beach with her lovable Border Collies, Evie and Chunk. Cheryl is also a clean freak at home, although this obsession clearly doesn’t apply to her office desk!
David
Creative Director
Studying 3D design and street furniture manufacture kept David out of trouble through the 80s. After developing carbon fibre racing car parts for Porsche and March Indycar Racing in the early 90s, David had a moment of epiphany and found his true calling lay in the creativity of point-of-purchase design.
As Creative Director, David listens first, then helps to define, refine and research a brief to ensure all the best opportunities can be realised out of the design process. After 15 years guiding customer projects through design, development and onto success, he’s proven that quality input will lead to ‘transformation and flourish’. In his own words: “Happiness is a tight set of briefs.”
Gayle
Sales
A mainstay of the sales team, Gayle’s smile has been a permanent feature of the office since she joined in 2003. Her incessantly bubbly, friendly and helpful nature makes her a favourite with customers and colleagues alike – focusing more on service than sale and regularly delighting us with her incredible culinary creations.
Gayle is a self-confessed fitness freak and enjoys water sports such as water skiing and knee boarding. Back on dry land, Gayle satisfies her need for speed with motorbikes. A big fan of Moto GP, she tries to get to at least one GP every year.
Helen
Graphics
Helen obtained her Graphic Design degree in 2003 and has since honed her skills in several East Anglian print and design based companies, finally bringing her expertise to bear at Signwaves in 2009.
Possessing a rare blend of professional talents, including vibrant creativity and close attention to detail combined with a unique sense of humour and fun, Helen delights in creating work that impresses enjoying herself in the process.
Always up for a challenge and helping her fellow staff (and never down in the dumps), her only feature which might not be exemplary is her hearing, it having been slightly impaired by many years enjoying (very) heavy metal music, top of Helen’s pops being Metallica and Foo Fighters.
If all this weren’t enough, she also possesses excellent numeracy and strategy skills which she puts to good use playing poker - and winning too!
Jennie
Purchasing
Jennie joined our sales team in early 2011, bringing eastern promise to our east coast office, and has since moved to join Michelle in our busy purchasing department. With a strong affinity for her mother's home country of Vietnam, Jennie takes every available opportunity to visit ‘The Pearl of the Orient’ and hopes to one day explore East Asia more widely. Don’t be fooled by her friendly, bubbly exterior… Underneath, Jennie is a trained Mauy Thai kick-boxer! Other notable – and less forbidding – achievements include a Travel and Tourism diploma and two years’ experience as a dental nurse.
Joe
Commercials
Following many years as a buyer in the joinery trade, Joe joined Michael in our commercial team in 2010, working to maintain the all-important numbers behind the scenes.
Sharing more than a passing resemblance to the famed Frenchman Eric Cantona, Joe’s wider interests include football, languages and music. A quiet arts fanatic, Joe appreciates art deco design in all its forms.
He’s also a proficient saxophonist and pianist - skills he narrowly avoiding losing when he ripped his glove open skiing in the -28°C Finnish night.
Guilty pleasure: Red Hot Chilli Peppers (no need for guilt here, we feel)
Judith
Production
Originally
from Hertfordshire, Judith first came to Norfolk in 2005 to study History and
Landscape Archaeology at the University of East Anglia. Despite returning home
and working in central London, Judith couldn’t stay away and made the move back
to Norfolk in December 2010.
As Production Planner, Judith
works with Katie in planning work into the schedule for Production, mainly
generated from sales orders. Judith’s other duties involve
frequently liaising alongside Katie with
the shop-floor team leaders to ensure the day runs as smoothly as
possible and also taking care of providing lead times for certain orders and
enquiries to Signwaves.
Judith is an avid singer as well
– a proud member of the Great Yarmouth Choral Society – and keeps her interest
in history alive visiting historic sites and watching Time Team.
Katie
Production
Konieczny - another unusual surname to add to our collection, courtesy of Katie’s Polish ancestors. And ‘hardworking’ is one stereotype we’re glad to say she lives up to!
Graduating from UCN Northampton with a degree in Marketing, Katie joined the Signwaves Team in June 2006. In the years since, she’s put her understated, efficient and methodical working style to great effect in our sales, commercial and latterly production teams. As our Production Planner, she’s kept busy making sure all orders run smoothly from planning to production.
Kevin
Marketing
Graduating from the Norwich School of Art and Design in 2003, Kevin began his career designing everything from chocolate boxes and vodka bottles to toy packaging and carrier bags, making the long commute to rural
Five years later, Kevin found a much more convenient avenue for his creativity here at Signwaves, where he made his mark laying the foundations for our busy artwork production team. An expanding graphics department freed his rare creative talents to develop our sales and marketing material and enhance the Signwaves brand, evidence of which is all around you.
Kevin & Team
Lauren
Marketing
Lauren joins us fresh from the University of Lincoln where she earned her degree in Media Production, specialising in design. Developing a solid technical knowledge of digital media, design and visual communication, Lauren’s creativity flourished, leading her to design and code her own website to showcase her portfolio.
Lauren brings some much needed capacity and skills into the marketing department, where she works with Martin and Kevin to develop our online content, e-marketing, graphic design and photography, and generally muck-in to make more of our many ideas a reality!
Her creativity and adeptness extends into the kitchen, where she can often be found cooking and baking, much to the delight of her friends and family.
Linda
Customer Service
Originally from Montrose in Scotland, Linda came to Great Yarmouth in 1986 where she met her then-to-be husband and has remained ever since. Her claim to fame is that she once worked for a company that specialised in ‘remote underwater vehicles’, one of which starred in an early James Bond movie!
Back on dry land, Linda managed a restaurant for several years but eventually the long, unsociable hours missing out on family life persuaded her that only a 9-5 day would do.
Completing an ‘Overhead Crane & Slinging Banksman Course’ enabled Linda to load lorries for a local drilling company before joining our Logistics team in 2004 before moving into customer service.
Lucy
Sales
Brought up in West London, Lucy moved to the country at 16 and joined Signwaves in 2008. Initially in reception, she has since moved into the sales team where she now looks after sign companies in East and South England, including the home counties. The favourite part of Lucy’s job is attending our exhibitions for the opportunity to meet customers face-to-face.
Lynn
Human Resources Director
The journey towards her career in Human Resources can best be described as scenic...
Having trained and practised as a general and paediatric nurse in the 1980s, Lynn’s career path was set. That was until she met Mark (to her mother’s eternal disappointment, not a doctor), who she married in 1990 and provided whatever support she could, between bedpans and night shifts, to a fledgling business called Signwaves.
“I settled into the HR role as something of a default as the one thing I felt I knew something about was people. As a result, I learned a huge amount about my own beliefs and values – which I have to say, are challenged on a fairly regular basis! But more than that, I have had the honour of watching careers and individuals develop, often far beyond my expectations. It really does make me feel like a proud parent many times over!”
Lynsey
Customer Service
Prior to joining Signwaves in 2008, Lynsey worked with CIS Insurance before taking a career break to raise her son, Lewis. 10 years on, Lynsey spends many a weekend cheering from the sidelines of the local football pitch. With an apparent taste for fast-paced action, Lynsey enjoys the busy environment of our sales office, where her days are never dull or slow!
Lynsey enjoys live music, having worked as a local barmaid, and walking her puppy, Betty.
Guilty pleasure: boy bands
Malcolm
Design
Having worked on a film set with Sting (‘The Grotesque’), built million pound ocean yachts and played a pivotal role in the TV pilot of ‘Marcus the Mole’, Malcolm joined Signwaves to get on with some ‘real work’. His degree in Industrial Design from
A natural and very talented creative designer, Malcolm brings us ideas, concept illustrations and turns up with some very attractive models...the prototypes of course.
Guilty design pleasure: cold war aircraft styling
Mark
CEO
Once upon a time (1988, to be precise), Mark chose the name Signwaves not only because it captures the energy within the business and its coastal heritage but also because it links nicely with his previous maritime career as a merchant navy officer.
Martin
Marketing
Martin’s work is characterised by variety – no two days are the same. With a background in PR and events management, he takes care of all our promotional activity from online and exhibitions to advertising and awards.
The challenge of managing multiple projects and the opportunity to explore new ideas is what he finds most rewarding, as well as seeing long-term effort coming to fruition. Creativity has key role to play, for which he draws upon his passion for music in which he earned his degree.
In his spare time, Martin’s main pursuits are motorbikes, piano playing, home improvements and photography.
Martina
Stores
Originally from Hungary, Martina relocated to Norfolk in 1982 where she has remained ever since. In contrast, her education and working life have been far more varied...it started with studying forensic science in Kings Lynn, followed by a year in hairdressing before spending 9 years in the army as a gunner.
In 2004, Martina left the army for a slightly less action-packed environment, working with adults and children with learning difficulties, mental health problems and challenging behaviours. And in April this year, she joined our busy despatch team but, with a baby on the way, wisely took a seat providing administrative support in our Stores team.
Michael
Commercials
Michael’s colourful career began at the Department of Work and Pensions which was followed by landscaping and ground work before he returned to the office earlier this year. Working with Joe in our commercials team, Michael specialises in costing our bespoke and minor-modified projects.
His many admirable qualities include a friendly and approachable nature, methodical and accurate approach to his work and an unflinching loyalty to Norwich City Football Club (well, someone has to). His own football history has been similarly problematic – at 26, he’s now coming out of retirement after several unpleasant clashes with his own keeper left him hospitalised.
When not in the office or A&E, Michael enjoys cooking and admits to being a bit of a film and music buff.
Michelle
Purchasing
Michelle
Sales
With a great deal of experience in customer service, Michelle joined us in 2007, initially working in reception before moving into the sales team where she now looks after key accounts in the ice cream, confectionary and convenience sectors.
Outside the office, Michelle enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs or escaping into a good book with a glass of wine.
Nicola
Sales
After studying Health and Social Care at college for two years, Nicola decided a change of scenery was in order and spent some time travelling around the East Coast of Australia.
Orla
Sales
Orla hails from Donegal in
Following graduation, she packed her bags and spent 4 months across the pond during which time she became the self-proclaimed ‘font of all things American’, although we’ve yet to test the claim...
Meeting her then-to-be husband Paul brought Orla to
Phil
Sales
Graduating with a degree in English Literature and Linguistics from the University of Hertfordshire, Phil went on to work in a variety of customer service roles before joining our sales team earlier this year – doubling the male population in the process!
Now working alongside Lucy, Phil takes care of sign companies in East Anglia and the Southern Counties.
A practical as well as verbal craftsman, Phil’s spare time is kept busy repairing and selling jewellery, reading and playing the sax.
Guilty pleasure: Harry Potter
Paul & Team
Stores
Rebecca
Sales
One of our newer arrivals, Rebecca joined the sales team in August 2010, quickly learnt the ropes with Nicola and now takes care of sign companies in the North of England.
Norfolk born and bred, Becky's dream is to one day become a ski instructor – something she practices for every winter. “There’s nothing better than skiing down a huge snowy mountain in the sun!” Until then, we’re glad to say, she’s very happy where she is.
Sam
Graphics
Originally from Essex, Sam’s strong and varied design career brought her to Norwich in 2007 from where she made the move to join our busy artwork production team earlier this year. Making the ultimate sacrifice, Sam gave up chocolate (of her own free will!) to work alongside Helen, where her she designs and prepares customer artwork ready for print.
Despite claiming to be afraid of heights, Sam proudly boasts not only climbing but diving off YS Falls in Jamaica, although she couldn’t quite manage the London Eye.
Scott
Design
Following his BA in Model Design, Scott spent 8 years with a local ‘theming’ company creating models and displays for theme parks, museums and exhibitions. His extensive work on the Sea Life Centre franchise took him all over the UK and Europe.
Now more firmly rooted in Norfolk, his in-depth knowledge of materials and construction techniques adds another valuable layer of experience to our growing design team. His long list of skills includes carpentry, GRP mould-making, paint/texturing effects and finishing.
His similarly long list of hobbies and interests includes motorsport, music and ‘making things’. And as if that wasn’t enough, Scott’s also on the lookout for a project car to work on.
Simon
Design
Using his ‘vulcan logic’ to great effect for planning, problem solving and ensuring a well executed design process, Simon’s broad skill set includes 2D / 3D CAD design and in depth knowledge of manufacturing process, materials and finishing techniques.
Simon brings pragmatism, organisation and momentum to all projects he undertakes, big or small, and his firm belief in open and honest communication ensures that all brainstorming and design reviews aren’t far short of a ‘mind-meld’ experience.
Guilty design pleasure: Alfa Romeo
Stewart & Team
Despatch
Tiffany
Accounts
Born in Canada, raised in Texas and now living in Great Yarmouth, Tiffany now works alongside Allan in accounts. Her background in retail means Tiffany is all too familiar with working under pressure; valuable experience as she helps to organise, assist and generally keep in order in the accounts team. Tiffany’s flawless CV has all the bases covered, including everything you’d expect – including a healthy list of GCSEs and A-Levels – and somethings you wouldn’t, such as a Diploma in Digital Applications. Not satisfied with that, Tiffany is currently studying for her degree in Business Studies as well as undertaking a Sage Accounting course. Her spare time is spent with her partner and baby Joshua, riding with fellow equestrian and co-worker Cally and keeping fit with Zumba.
Woolley
Design
One of our longest serving members of staff, ‘Woolley’ brings a great deal of experience and expertise to the team, including 2D CAD design, prototyping and performance testing.
His alter identity is ‘the Silver Fox’ - on a 5-a-side pitch his combination of wisdom, cunning, stamina and stealth scores high. And equal attention goes into his design-evolution, which is always focussed on hitting at the goal with a smart delivery - a real master of his art.
Woolley enjoys the creativity, unpredictability and ‘adventure’ of the bespoke design process, injecting his own personality and ideas into every project he undertakes.
Guilty design pleasure: street photography and the art of Robert Crumb