Our stories

One of the things we value at DuluxGroup is participating in our communities. We do this in an array of different ways because we want our employees to feel empowered to make meaningful contributions in the ways that matter most to them.

Take Snezana, our Dulux Help & Advice Team Leader, for example. Snezanais a passionate animal lover, and when in late 2019, devastating bushfires threatened Forster and its surrounding areas along the NSW Mid North Coast, she decided to help in any way she could. She did water drops to those displaced by the fires, provided food to the SES and NSW RFS volunteers, and even transported pets to safe havens. But she felt that more was needed so she decided to organise a fundraiser to raise $5,000, which would be equally distributed between the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, NSW Rural Fire Service, Koalas in Care Inc., Australian Red Cross, and WIRES. 

In November 2019, she approached her incredibly supportive manager, and was given the green light to work with the DuluxGroup graphic design team to mock up a poster, promoting the fundraiser. She promoted her efforts across the DuluxGroup NSW sites, as well as sending company-wide emails and raising awareness via our intranet site. She felt that people across the company were overwhelmingly supportive in helping to get her message out there. Snezana knows that many of our employees went above and beyond to personally contribute to the bushfire relief, as did DuluxGroup itself, so she was so appreciative of the contributions people made.

So many people gave whatever they could, be it large or small. From financial donations to medical supplies, everything was so incredibly valuable. Two of our Porter’s Paints teams even donated their Christmas celebration fund to ensure Snezana’s fundraiser was a success. Such is the generosity of our employees. 

Snezana made her target and beyond. It was a great and worthwhile effort. Well done!

Last summer marked a crisis point for Australia, experiencing the worst bushfire season on record. Participating in our communities has always been a deeply held value at DuluxGroup and one that is of the upmost importance to Ray Ben, National Sales Manager:

“Many years ago when I was looking for ways to give back to my community I decided to volunteer at my local CFA branch and 19 years later in the leadership role of 1st Lieutenant for my brigade I am still as committed as ever. I have been involved in some of the worst fires Victoria has ever seen, firstly with Black Saturday and more recently at Mallacoota.

New Years Eve (last year) saw myself and my crew of 5 deployed to Mallacoota. I had cancelled my own family holiday plans to make sure I was available for call up as I knew catastrophic weather conditions meant it was highly likely I would be needed. What that deployment was like was far more challenging than I could have foreseen.  

It was tough going, firstly we couldn’t even reach the fire grounds because the road was inaccessible, so we had to be shipped in. Then after fighting the intense blaze for three days our deployment quickly turned to seven.

It was like being on an island, we were totally isolated with no power, no water, blanketed in smoke.  Our next challenge was trying to go home again. By this stage Mallacoata was inaccessible by land and sea. The only way we were eventually able to leave was through the aid of a Black Hawk military helicopter, flying us out of the area.

In the midst of all of this I was also meant to return to work. Reaching out to my line manager I was overwhelmed by how accommodating DuluxGroup was. My own manager was incredibly supportive, I was told to put all thoughts of work out of my head, to just do what I had to do and do it safely.  Part of the support I received was an assurance that DuluxGroup offers uncapped emergency services leave. Not only that but my manager also arranged for my annual leave to be reinstated to me and instead changed the leave to be recognised as emergency services leave including a day home, after my deployment, to recover and spend precious time with my family.

I am proud to serve my community and this year sees me receiving my 20-year service award from the CFA. I am also a proud DuluxGroup employee most especially for the way they enable their employees to truly participate in their communities.”

Our Health & Wellbeing Champions from across DuluxGroup NZ have been rather busy of late bringing a number of key health-based fun initiatives to our workplaces. This group consists of several people from right across DuluxGroup NZ who meet weekly and generate ideas, initiatives and plans to help all DuluxGroup NZ employees sustain healthy bodies and minds.

Our latest initiative was all about sharing our “happy places” with each other. We had engagement from right across the business; Our factories, warehouses, stores and offices, everyone was eager to show off their happy place!

 In fact, we are delighted to have received over 220 + photos from across the business - it is evident that DuluxGroup NZ love their families, their children and fur babies, travelling, adventures and of course smiling!!!   

And, of course, sharing our “happy places” is one thing but to add to the fun we had to choose a winner. A very difficult decision but we are pleased to announce the Ultimate Winner of the DuluxGroup “Your Happy Place” photo competition:  Marvin Villaruz from B&D Doors in Christchurch.  A standout in a fiercely fought battle! Well done Marvin and to all these that shared their “happy place”!

Being open to possibilities has worked well for both DuluxGroup and Kevin Smerdon.

Kevin, has recently been employed as a Territory Manager, focussing on business development, for the Victorian Dulux Trade Team but has been in the paint industry for over 43 years!  In 2019 DuluxGroup acquired the Paint Spot business in Victoria, and at the time, Kev was one of the owners. After selling his business Kev had aspirations of working his farm and enjoying a retirement filled with family and particularly grandchildren. But with such a wealth of experience Dulux knew Kev would an invaluable asset! So, after 6 weeks of retirement Kev was approached with an opportunity. Initially it was to help out in store, but the Trade Leaders quickly saw the potential for Kev to play a larger, more influential role in the sales team.

Kev was keen, he loves the industry, the business and the customers but the extra time with his family and working his farm were equally critical to his quality of life. A deal was struck – Kev would work flexibly – over 4 days per week, leaving him more time for his farm and family whilst contributing to the commercial success of the Trade team. Essentially it is a win win for both parties.

It is still early days, but Kev thrives on growing the business and that buzz you get, when you know you are making a difference. He stills gets to have that. At the same time, he recognises that getting the balance right with his home life means he is less stressed overall – and importantly he has the time he needs for his family and farm.
So being open to possibilities certainly has its rewards!

We have all been doing it tough in 2020 but family, friends and loved ones can make all the difference,. So we wanted to pause for a moment and take the opportunity to say thank you – thank you to all the dad’s out there. Happy Father’s Day! 

Graham Hoy
Lincoln Sentry – WA
Warehouse Operator

Parenting in 2020 has been very different! My wife, Diana had our first baby, our girl Kobe in May and with all the covid restrictions it was rough, as I wasn't allowed to attend the ultrasounds and appointments along the way and once she was born I could only visit for one hour twice a day. My eldest daughter, Layla, 12, wasn't a fan of the social distancing measures as it "ruined her social life" but did enjoy the extra time on her iPad! 

Rhys Halma 
Cabot’s – Queensland
State Sales Manager

As a parent in 2020, things have been even more strange than ever. I have a 5yo daughter, Sienna. She spends 50% of her time with me and 50% with her mum. Both Sienna’s mum and I have had time in isolation where we went up to 2 weeks without seeing our daughter. This on top of home schooling and trying to explain to a 5YO why we can’t go the park or have her friends together for her 5th birthday party has certainly been a challenge. This challenge would have been so much harder if it wasn’t for the support of DuluxGroup when it comes to flexible working arrangements. The biggest thing I have learned from this experience is observing how nimble and adaptable kids can be! 
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!

Paul Cochrane  
B&D Group - NZ
NZ Country / Operations Manager

Having kids around always keeps you grounded, puts life into perspective and keeps you in touch with the next generation.

My “kids” aren’t really kids anymore, however they aren’t really adults either. At 20, 22 and 24 they are all in that place where they are starting to find their own way in the world. Their compasses are straightening up.

We’ve been through that aspirational time we all have as parents when none of them lived with us, where we had to actively invite them over for dinner just to catch up. And then they all came back - some with extras. I remember hearing my wife Teresa saying, “but only one of you left, how is it that I’ve managed to get two back?”

The irony is that as they’ve grown up so to have their problems.  What used to be “I’ve fallen over and hurt my knee”, “why won’t my bike stay standing up on its own?” and “can you please download some Brittany Spears on Lime-wire Dad” and was regularly solved with a hug, some food and a good night’s sleep has become “I lost my job”, “I crashed my car”, “the love of my life is over” and “Dad, can you help me with my GST (again)?”

For the two current in-house tenants it was great to see them get back to basics during lockdown and as a family we did lots of things together that we hadn’t done for a long time! We played cards, we had fancy dress Friday’s and we Netflix’ed and chilled. It’s great to hear the banter fill the house as they laugh, joke and challenge each other while they discuss the intricacies of following a dinner menu together.

I’ll really enjoy it when they “finally” move out and we have our space back once again. But I’ll also really miss them just being there and the comfort that brings. This year they’ve been asked to bring 5 of their best Dad jokes to Father’s Day so let’s see how much assistance the internet can give them!

Luke Moss
Lincoln Sentry - Qld
Customer Service Team Leader

Like it has been for everyone, 2020 has been full uncertainty and nervous moments, throw in expecting a baby and I was left with plenty running through my mind while trying to sleep. After not being able to attend my wife’s 20 week scan I was relieved to find I was able to attend all further hospital visits and the all-important birth of our happy and healthy son, Levi. 

Covid related limits on visitors was a blessing in disguise as it gave my wife and me a greater opportunity to get to know the newest member of our family. With my wife still recovering I very soon changed my first nappy (after a shaky start I now compare myself to an F1 pit crew) and had my parental instincts kick in with the realisation he relies on us for absolutely everything. 

Since Levi was born I haven’t had a full night sleep, every shirt I’ve worn has been left stained and I’ve had several reminders not to put my face too close when taking a nappy off. But it has all been worth it, while most will look back on 2020 as one disaster after another I will certainly remember it very differently. 

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!

Art featured: Katie Wyatt Artwork, Greenhouse Interiors; Photographer: Armelle Habib, Stylist Julie Green

The Dulux Colour Forecast for 2021 is expressed through three tonal palettes that prioritise natural colours and textures for comfort and security, with moments of stronger colour to brighten our outlook and wellbeing.

The Dulux colour team research trends consistently throughout the year, staying connected with international colour trend professionals and keeping informed of local and global lifestyle influences to predict global trends and how they will affect Australians and New Zealanders.  

NOURISH

Photographer: Mike Baker, Stylist Bree Leech

The Nourish palette plays into this longing for natural beauty and earthly connection. Whilst many of us are experiencing the world from the confines of home, we are facing digital saturation at its most extreme. Craving time and space away from our screens, there is a renewed appreciation for nature and rituals of self-care to help soothe the mind and create an aura of calm and sense of wellbeing.

Biophilic hues of mossy and sage greens, turmeric and citrus connect us to nature, inspiring us to fill our homes and workspaces with plants and blooms. The tactility of materials and raw textures provide a level of physical comfort to the touch, whilst the round-form surfaces and soft-shaped furniture offer visual relief.

RESET

Photographer Mike Baker, Stylist Bree Leech

The Reset palette reflects our renewed energy and desire to brighten our outlook as many of us adapt to home life. Reflecting on what is most important to us, we draw closer to our families and local community. 

Subtly inspired by the 70s, uplifting hues of blue-green and energetic reds offset contrasting whites and neutrals. Furniture styles and materials are mixed, however unified with colour combinations for a more eclectic approach to design. Whilst quilted fabrics paired with objects and mementos from past travels elevate the level of comfort and cosiness in the space. 

  RETREAT

Photographer: Mike Baker, Stylist Bree Leech

As work-life boundaries continue to blur, we delve deeper in search of balance, restyling our spaces to accommodate our flexible lifestyle. We seek out the security of well-loved DIY traditions like cooking, baking and crafting to help us feel grounded and present. 

The Retreat palette draws on nostalgia to create that sense of familiarity and refuge we crave - combining up-cycled materials in natural timbers and vintage accents such as ceramics and weavings to create a well-worn, yet timeless look. Stormy blues channel tranquillity, signifying better times to come, whilst essential whites and burgundy feed our sense of the familiar and tradition.

For more Dulux Colour Forecast 2021 inspiration visit…

Australia                dulux.com.au/colourforecast

New Zealand         dulux.co.nz/colourforecast

2020 saw the return of the highly popular DuluxGroup Learning Festival but this year we wanted it to be bigger and better than ever before. What is the DuluxGroup Learning Festival? It is an interactive, high impact, virtual learning experience that allows our employees to self-select and engage in a range of topics for both personal and professional development. 

2020 has been a year of unprecedent challenges and what better way to help people feel connected and engaged then a learning festival that allows employees to dial and participant regardless of their location or circumstance. As a result, never before has the appetite for learning been so high!

We started this year’s journey by telling employees to expect more – more sessions, more presenters, more diversity of topics over more days and we delivered.
We had a stellar line up of presenters – and in total we delivered 33 learning sessions in 3 days. We even themed the sessions into three stages – focussing on wellbeing, wisdom and innovation. That meant employees could choose to focus on one area of development or all three!

Engagement was high. In total we had almost 1000 employees participating in the festival, attending one or more session over the 3 days. We had employees participating from our Trade Stores, our Distribution and Manufacturing sites, from their homes, their cars and their offices, demonstrating how accessible learning at DuluxGroup really is. We had employees dial in from across Australia, New Zealand, PNG and Singapore. 

We’d be hard pressed to say which of our sessions was the most popular this year. We had record levels of participants attending a cross section of topics. Topics such as:
• Strategy 101
• Finance Fundamentals
• Making Great Presentations
• Developmental Coaching
• Bouncing Forward (developing resilience)
• Budgeting for Life and Work
• Relieve Stress and Anxiety
• Plus many, many more……..

The reality is all sessions were well attended demonstrating a great interest in learning.  A truly remarkable achievement by all those involved!

Imagine if...you have an idea. You think it can help. At DuluxGroup we are passionate people who have LOTS of ideas, grounded in consumer insight. Increasingly, these ideas are enabled by technology.  It could be a new product, new service, or even a new business model. But there is a high degree of risk or uncertainty with your idea. 

What can you do?

Find a safe space to explore and test these ideas. So late last year, the DGTech team ran an experiment called Innovation FAST-TRAC. The program is designed to reduce the level of uncertainty and risk for new or unfamiliar growth initiatives - at speed.
 
Teams are deliberately multi-disciplinary, to bring diversity of thinking, and are small, to enable rapid decision making.
 
FAST-TRAC equips people with an entrepreneurial mindset.  During the discovery phase, our people develop skills in:
• Problem exploration 
• Value proposition design 
• Customer discovery 
 
During the validation phase, they learn about:
• Assumption mapping 
• Business experimentation 
• Business model design  

We're now halfway through the second FAST-TRAC, explains Julie Challinor, DGTech Engagement & Innovation Lead. Six teams are exploring a wide range of exciting ideas. They love the space to innovate, the challenge to create better solutions and overall the knowledge that thy are making a meaningful impact on the business they love.

In 2010, DuluxGroup was publicly listed after demerging from its parent company Orica. As we demerged, an IT function was born - a combination of new employees, transferred employees from the parent company (I was one) as well as some outsourcing. Our datacentres, infrastructure and service desk were all outsourced while our core application support was kept in house with some boutique companies providing contingent and project labour as required.

Fast forward to 2019, we were acquired by Nippon Paints which has given us a great opportunity to explore new markets, share knowledge and start to think about how we contribute to the larger group.

In 2020, after an iteration of single-sourced offshoring for most IT services a review of our operations led us to decide to move away from this model, replaced by a more dynamic blend of internal teams and smaller niche providers.

This decision will see the creation of up to 40 new jobs within the DGTech team across a broad range of capabilities. A bold move during a pandemic. This change is critical to DuluxGroup realising its ambitions and one I’m very excited to be involved in.

We have some great partners, a supportive executive leadership team and an amazing leader. If you want to work with great tech, help us deliver awesome projects and be part of an wonderful company, come and join the team.

Click here to find out more about our current opportunities.

The Mizikovsky family purchased a home in the coastal community of Woody Point, north of Brisbane, with the vision of transforming it into their dream family home. They contacted B&D to help create an aesthetic solution that could also survive the harsh wear and tear of the elements.

Tom Hammond, B&D’s National New Housing Manager recalls “We met on site and discussed how the garage door would have a great presence on the build, accounting for around 60 per cent of the facade of the home.” In this situation the aesthetic bearing the garage door would have on the property was enormous.

The Task:  Create an integrated cladding sectional garage door system that allows the door itself to disappear into the facade, providing a seamless look to the home while taking into consideration the home’s proximity to the water.

The Solution: B&D created a customised, five metre wide door with an integrated cladding sectional garage door system. This allows the door itself to disappear into the facade, providing a seamless look to the home. The design used a Castellated batten material as it feature:

• Hard wearing, sustainable resin/timber composite that doesn’t move like timber.
• Less maintenance and a lighter weight due to its moulded form.
• Wide range of colours and finishes

 Paired with this clever design is the use of the latest smart technology, allowing secure access control to the home via an app. This Smart Door solution provides the ability to open and close the garage from a mobile smart phone anywhere in the world*. It also provides monitored access to the garage, sending a message whenever the door is operated or obstructed. Creating the perfect blend of safety, security and convenience.

 “I’m glad Tom presented this option to me; it was the right decision. Now my neighbours want one just like it!” Lev Mizikovsky

PRODUCTS USED:
Door Model: Designer Series Biowood
Material: Castellated 35 Weatherwood
Upgrades: FlushMount System, extra Biowood Panels for Facade

^{*Subject to cellular and Wifi connection availability.}

The current troubled and uncertain times we are experiencing have unfortunately increased the need for some families to escape domestic violence, and Dulux NZ is here to help

Dulux NZ has recently partnered with Pet Refuge, who are building a specially designed shelter that will temporarily house dogs, cats and other small pets caught up in domestic abuse. It is the first one of its kind in NZ, with plans to build more around the country in key locations.

NZ has the second highest rate of pet ownership in the world, and unfortunately the highest rate of family violence in the OECD. Research has established that over half of women caught up in domestic abuse, delayed leaving out of fear for their pet’s safety. Their partners would often use abuse towards the animals as a way of controlling the victim, preventing them from taking any action.

Women’s Refuge don’t have facilities to house pets, so this creates a barrier for people wanting to leave, as they can’t face leaving their pets behind. By providing a shelter that works alongside Women’s Refuge, victims can leave with their pets, knowing there will be a safe place for them to go, and can be reunited once longer-term plans are in place.

It was a natural fit for Dulux and Pet Refuge, as we can leverage the iconic Dulux Dog, to help raise awareness for his four legged friends in need.

Dulux are contributing a significant amount of product and resource for the build of the shelter by supplying all the paint and coatings needed such as decorative paints like Wash&Wear, Weathershield and Aquanamel, as well as specialty coatings. We would like to thank Graham Gates and Kevin Hokopaura from Protective Coatings for their help in providing Fireshield and organising its specialty application of the product. We will also be providing technical advice and interior design expertise for the shelter.

In addition, Dulux are ‘sponsoring a brick’ in the name of every Dulux NZ employee to help with the build costs of the shelter.

Once the shelter is complete, we will be providing donations for ongoing support and working with Pet Refuge on creating fundraising opportunities.

To find out more about Pet Refuge, follow the link, and make sure you have tissues ready if you watch the video. https://www.petrefuge.org.nz/

If you would also like to sponsor a brick, follow the link: https://rebuildlives.co.nz/

The Gracefield Customer Service team in New Zealand are being kept very busy while in lockdown and are using some unique ways of keeping in touch.

The team were egg-cited about picking up and moving home.  With very little notice, they set up and got back to keeping our customers happy.  Along with the amazing customer service they supply, you may also get a terrible joke to go along with your query (the teams’ skills obviously lie in Customer Service – not comedy!).

The team have been working hard to ensure that they continue to egg-cell, and while they are used to the face-to-face support of their Team Leaders, they are egg-cellent at using tools like Teams, Skype and SharePoint to communicate and share information. This Cracker of a team can’t be beaten!

Since they can’t be together as a team, it was an egg-cellent opportunity to think outside the square and here we are!

The photo credit goes to the daughter of our Services Manager Bronwyn, and the credit for the bad jokes goes to the Gracefield Customer Services Team.

We are pleased to provide you with an update on DuluxGroup’s involvement with the “Impact21” Project, which aims to provide young adults living with Down Syndrome an opportunity to build their skills and obtain permanent employment in the workplace.

Our new employee Jonathan commenced work at DuluxGroup on March 11 in the role of Colour Room Assistant. He wanted to share part of journey.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about working in the Colour Room at Dulux?

A: Working in a room filled with lots of colours. Choosing the colour sheets and getting to know the codes and names of the colours. Getting to know my team.

Q: What are your favourite tasks?

A: Getting the order forms and choosing the colours. Doing the mailroom run.

Q: How has working changed your life?

A: It has given me more opportunity to try new things. Learning more skills. Share with family what l have been doing

Q:What are you saving your pay checks for?

A: A trip to New Zealand

Q: How do you prepare for a regular working day?

A: Make sure l have made my roll for lunch.

Congratulations to our Dulux Merrifield production team who recently participated in the 27^th Annual Australian Corporate Games.

The Corporate Games are a series of sporting events involving some 20,000 entrants from 3,000 different organisations.  The Games encourage organisations to support their employees pursuit of a healthier and more active lifestyle, with funds raised going to Beyond Blue.

Merrifield organised three teams for the Games - a female and male basketball team, and a mixed soccer team.  The teams approached the competition with varying levels of commitment. The most committed team (to their preparation), the female basketball team, walked away with bragging rights, finishing in overall third place. The other teams had a lot of fun and are committed to reflecting on their achievement with an aim to improve ready for next year.

There was an amazing effort from all who participated, and the teams showed great support for one another while having a great time.

Creating a difference in the community has always been incredibly important to Dulux so for this year's Jelly Beans campaign we elected to support Second Chance Animal Rescue.

For the 2019 Jelly Beans campaign Dulux will be donating $1.00 from every Jelly Beans tin to Second Chance Animal Rescue, equating in a $140,000 donation to fit out their new Animal Hospital with much needed equipment.

Second Chance Animal Rescue was founded in 2008 after vet nurse and shelter volunteer Marisa Debattista witnessed firsthand how many beautiful animals needed help, versus how few resources were available. The new hospital will help alleviate this pressure within the wider Victorian area. "Our new animal hospital aims to provide veterinarian support to sick and injured animals whose owners may not be able to afford to pay the bills." Marisa says. "We will also be offering a number of free services not readily available within the state - such as our Safe House for Pets program, where we house pets temporarily for owners who are family violence survivors."

In addition, some of our Dulux team volunteered their time and skills to paint the new hospital, with Dulux supplying all paint to complete the project.

Over the course of the next twelve months, Marisa and the team at Second Chance Animal Rescue have projected that through the animal hospital and its supporting programs they will be able to achieve the following:

• Adopt out 1400 homeless cats and dogs;
• Treat over 3000 public patients in the Community Animal Hospital;
• De-sex 300 animals for free via the Pet Outreach Program;
• Assist over 300 underprivileged pet owners with free veterinary treatments via the Pet Outreach Program;
• Hand out over 2000kg of pet food to underprivileged pet owners via the Free Food Bank;
• Run 45 responsible pet ownership workshops (inluding Pet First Aid and puppy school classes): and
• Offer free emergency respite care to more than 50 animals belonging to domestic and family violence survivors via the Safe House for Pets Program.

Stay tuned for more information on this year's Jelly Beans Campaign.

Flexibility comes in many different forms and means different things to different people. As we move to a more flexible world, one where work and life are more integrated and where we are expected to remain in the workforce for longer it’s important to understand the ways flexibility can be used and one such important use is in transitioning to retirement.

We asked Phil Jones, Technical & Specification Service Manager, in Parchem to share his experience as he transitions to retirement.

Phil started with Fosroc-Nonporite in 1984 and whilst the business has undergone many changes and owners, before being bought by the DuluxGroup in 2012, Phil has remained dedicated and loyal to the business, to the customers and to the products.

He has enjoyed a variety of different and challenging roles throughout his impressive career, initially starting as a Specifications Manager, before moving into a State Sales Manager role, then a Product Manager which lead him to the Technical Services Manager role and the Application & Training Manager position, before being appointed the National Specification Manager until his current role today. This tenure in a technical business has meant that Phil enjoys a deep and unique knowledge and understanding of the business and its products. Phil has enjoyed many career highlights but imparting knowledge and training are the two that Phil cites as being the most rewarding.

Three years ago Phil decided to approach the business with a request to work flexibly. Then in his early 60s, with both kids living overseas, Phil and his wife decided the time had come for her to return “home” to New Zealand. Phil wasn’t ready to retire but he was ready for a change. He approached his manager with his plan about working part time. He knew of others that worked part time so he thought why couldn’t he? At that stage he wasn’t even thinking of it in terms of “transitioning to retirement”. In approaching his manager, his manager suggested he review the transition to retirement material and work through his plan. Having done that Phil went back to his manager with his plan in two parts:

1)            Cut back to 3 days per week, initially working on getting the technical data sheets (over 250 of them) in order as well as providing the technical support and training to customers and staff. With that agreed, Phil then went ahead with part 2.

2)            Moving to and working remotely from Nelson, New Zealand.

Both were agreed to with a trial period to see how it worked out. Adjustments would be made if necessary.

Phil notes that essential to this arrangement working is the trust the business had to have in him. And it has worked out really well. Phil now spends 3 days per week working for Parchem, predominately on technical data sheets and working with the Brand Managers on New Product Development projects, but he also provides technical advice to the team and has a few customers to call on in New Zealand, just to give him some variety.

On his non work days he goes fishing, plays golf and rides his motorcycles. He also has 4 acres of land, planted with olive trees, to occupy his time.

Has Phil enjoyed the change? Absolutely! He has a role that keeps his brain active, a bit of money coming in and more time for himself. He does more travel now as well. For him the structure of 3 days’ work, 4 day weekends works well. He sees the situation as a win win – the business gets to retain his immense knowledge and experience and he gets to work at a capacity that suits his needs in life. He is not looking to grow his career but wants to contribute in a meaningful way to the business. In the next year or so he may look to drop back to 2 days per week.

Phil recommends anyone thinking of following his path to have a clear plan and know how they are going to spend their extra free time. Make sure they have thought through their finances as well but overall transitioning to retirement has meant he can stay active and keep working whilst having more time to spend on the things that really matter!

The Selleys team spent last Friday living the Selleys Brand Purpose ‘From Task to Triumph’ by partnering with The Bower Reuse & Repair Centre to bring DIY to life in the community. Together we experienced how Selleys products can be used to empower communities to repair and reuse - reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

Who are The Bower?

The Bower Reuse and Repair Centre is an environmental charity committed to reducing landfill. Their range of services and programs are all based on the ethos of reuse and repair to reduce the amount of waste entering landfill and empowering communities to engage in repurposing. To date The Bower have saved more than 190,000 Kilograms from landfill, repaired over 2,600 items, on sold items to more than 33,000 happy customers & helped over 270 families though donation of furniture to charitable causes. A third of all pieces in The Bower network end up in the House to Home network to help furnish the homes of disadvantaged members of the community.

And through it all Selleys products have been a trusted ‘go to’ brand in The Bower tool box to assist them in their everyday operations.

What we got up to at the Selleys Brand Purpose Workshops?

We had a fun filled day, stripping back layers of paint to bring back to life the natural beauty of tables and bedroom drawer suites. We removed dirt and grime to expose the hidden gem of what would have been a discarded piece of furniture and rescued a full set of dining chairs that were originally destined for landfill.

The furniture pieces we helped restore will now go into The Bower network where they will be rehomed. The money made will help continue to fund and support the reuse and repair environmental efforts of The Bower.

At DuluxGroup we love to develop and invest in our people. We also love to recognise our people for the exceptional work they do. Adam Husband is a great example of this. During his time at Cabot’s as State Sales Manager, Adam gained a reputation for achieving great business outcomes through empowering and delivering through his team. Whilst Adam has been recently promoted into the role of National Account Manager for Dulux working with Bunnings, today we wanted to showcase his achievement’s during his time with Cabot’s. Apart from receiving national recognition in being awarded both the Cabot’s Sales Manager of the Year and Decorative Sales Manager of the Year for 2018, Adam also and more importantly created a diverse and dynamic sales team during his time in the role, one of his proudest achievements to date.

Adam knows diversity in a team doesn’t just happen, rather it took a deliberate and considered approach.

When Adam took on the Cabot’s role, he knew he was leading a group of employees with long standing service and experience. They knew how to get the job done so Adam’s initial focus was on making sure they remained engaged during the change in leadership to continue delivering exceptional results. When movement occurred within the team, Adam used this opportunity to mould and shape the team differently. His vision was to create a diverse sales team (in terms of experience, gender, age and backgrounds) to truly drive team performance within a supportive environment. Adam’s goal was to foster a high performing team culture where everyone felt empowered to step up and deliver no matter what their experience was. There is no doubt – it worked. It took time and patience which eventually paid off. Individual members of the team have since been singled out and recognised for their outstanding performances, including three members being recognised as National Sales Professional of the Year, while two have achieved further career advancements, all under Adam’s leadership.

The team now comprises a mixture of long serving experienced Sales Executives; their wealth of knowledge invaluable, as well as graduates; fresh and eager to learn, to employees new to the industry, with a host of ideas on how to do things differently; and finally employees advancing their career and moving up into more challenging roles.

Whilst Adam has been with DuluxGroup for over 14 years, he has enjoyed the benefits of working for a large multi-branded organisation. The State Sales Manager role was his first foray into people leadership and it was very much a deliberate move. He was clear from the get go that he wanted to create an empowered team with a strong culture who could add value to their customer's businesses, and he knew he would have to lead from the front in order to make that happen.

When asked about his leadership style Adam explains his approach was to coach his team to their strengths, giving them every opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities within a supportive environment. They needed to be challenged, supported and empowered to come up with new and different ways of delivering value to our customers.

Ultimately, Adam measured his individual performance through his team’s success.

Earlier in May, we welcomed a new cohort of graduates into the DuluxGroup Graduate Development Program. Our Graduate Program includes graduates from a number of disciplines, such as Sales, Marketing, R&D as well as Supply Chain, Finance and HR across our many varied brands.

Instead of a day in the classroom learning about DuluxGroup, we gave the new cohort 24 hours and a small budget to create a video and social media campaign to communicate our Employee Value Proposition. It was quite an experience for them! To learn more about their experience check out some of our behind the scenes footage.

Miranda Harmon started with DuluxGroup in 2016 working as an Executive Assistant for the Executive General Manager of B&D Doors. The brand really stood out to her when she saw the role advertised and importantly so did the fact that she could do the position flexibly! When she started she worked 3 days in the office and 1 day from home. Having all the right tools of trade meant she could work from home seamlessly, changing her schedule as required to ensure she successfully met the needs of both work and family. Miranda has supported two senior leaders within the Group, both very different, but both have supported flexibility whole heartedly.

She then welcomed her second child into the world in 2018. After her parental leave she felt excited to be getting back into the workforce but also slightly conflicted about leaving her babies. The biggest assistance to her was that she was able to transition back into the business incrementally, initially starting at 1 day a week, then increasing to 2 before finally working 3 days per week. Importantly knowing that she has also the same career opportunities as her colleagues ensures that she continues to feel invested in and valued.