Meet Chris, our Managing Director

Tell us what you do at X-Hire

I’m responsible for the day to day running of the business. I end up being involved in many things at X-Hire, alongside various HR tasks. This can include payroll, purchase and sales ledger payments, raising invoices to send to customers and bookkeeping accounts. The other areas I get involved in are business development and system administration. 

Have you always worked in the construction industry?

It’s what I’ve always done! I left school about 30 years ago and got a job for a builders merchants working in telesales. From there I moved into accounts for a construction company, and then a plant hire supplier. I’ve now been at X-Hire since the Summer last year.

What are the best and worst things about your job?

The best thing is seeing how X-Hire has grown and developed. I’ve been in the business since the very start and I’ve helped to get X-Hire to where it is today. On the downside, it can be frustrating making sure we get in front of the right person for sales meetings and we speak to the right contact when introducing the business to potential customers and suppliers. 

What have you learnt since being at X-Hire?

It’s really hard changing people’s habits. X-Hire is a great product with many benefits but introducing technology within the construction industry is harder than I thought. It means changing the way some people work (making a phone call vs using a computer), which can be a challenge. 

Have you had any silly things happen since being at X-Hire?

The funniest thing that happened was after a work event, on the way back to our hotel in Coventry. There was a bit of a mix up with the hotel address which was in Bermuda Park, not Bermuda Road. By the time we realised we were heading in the wrong direction it was too late, and we ended up stuck in a tailback on a dual carriageway (unable to turnaround) for over an hour. The taxi ended up being £40 instead of the tenner which it should have been! Needless to say, there were jokes about the Bermuda Triangle being closer!

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

It’s all about sport for me. I used to be a county pool player, and have played both squash and football at a high level. These days I tend to watch more sport than play!