Ben Harwood is managing director at Naismiths - a construction consultancy services company in Birmingham.
In one sentence, what does your role involve? My role as managing director involves overseeing and guiding the strategic direction, operations and performance of the entire business.
How long have you been in your current job? I have worked for Naismiths for seven years but have been managing director since January 2023.
Give a very brief summary of your professional career to date: I’ve worked in a whole host of sectors over my career, including: construction, software, aerospace, recruitment, private jets, and haulage.
I have specialised in managing businesses, including reviewing, developing, and implementing new procedures across all areas of a company. Having completed many over the past few years, my focus has been acquiring businesses and integrating them into a group. My financial background and experience managing businesses has enabled me to work in many sectors while using a similar skillset.
Did further/higher education set you up well for your particular vocation? I didn’t go to university - instead I chose to study accountancy, becoming a chartered accountant in 2010. Utilising the skills and knowledge gained during this time and implementing it in practical situations in multiple sectors has significantly enhanced my career. A background or knowledge of finance is crucial for any senior individual within a business.
Has the fallout from the pandemic presented any opportunities? The fallout from the pandemic has presented both opportunities and threats to both our business and the construction industry as a whole. A section of Naismiths deals with business consultancy, essentially going into a business and helping with a turnaround process. The pandemic caused a lot of people to reassess their businesses and the marketplace in general, this has led to significant opportunities for us.
However, the construction industry has been hit particularly hard with the lack of availability of materials, skills shortages, and cost increases over the past couple of years.
Can online meetings successfully take the place of face-to-face contact? In some instances, yes, online meetings can significantly improve some functions, especially internal meetings, but face to face contact is an absolute must when working with clients. The main benefit of online meetings is that you can hold more meetings and talk to people more than before, but I don’t ever want to go away from regular face to face meetings.
How do you get the best out of your staff? People are all different, and everyone has their own motivational factors, the key is being able to identify what the individual is motivated by. I want everyone to be successful and enjoy what they do, so holding regular catch ups and ensuring everyone has a plan in place is important.
How many emails do you tend to get in a day, and how much time do you have to read them? I get a lot of emails every day, I try to work through them throughout the day. Every evening I sit and go through every email, replying where I can, or marking emails for future action. I prefer to keep on top of my inbox and ensure that everyone gets a reply as soon as possible.
How do you hope your colleagues would describe you? Determined, hardworking and motivated. I want everyone to succeed, if my colleagues are successful, it will ultimately lead to success for the business and in turn myself.
Highlights of your career so far? Becoming managing director of Naismiths - leading and driving the business forward is a major highlight for me. Also, winning an award for Finance Director of the Year in the West Midlands was pretty special as well.
Pet hates? I pride myself on always replying to people; if I miss a call, I always call people back when I can. My biggest pet hate is poor communication, I think it is one of the simplest things to do well. Our clients are the most important part of our business - the better the communication process, the better our relationship is with them. This can also be said for internal communication.
If you could go back and give your younger self some wise advice, what would it be? Never regret anything, take every opportunity. Taking risks is a part of life, even if something doesn’t work out you will still have learned from it making you a better person moving forward.
How do you relax away from work? I don’t really relax, work is always on my mind and I spend a lot of my “free time” making sure that everything is completed in advance. When I do have time off, I enjoy travelling and reading, and try to get to as many of the Formula 1 races as I can.
What do you believe is special about the Birmingham business community? Birmingham is one of the most diverse economic sectors in the UK, with multiple sectors represented by a vast array of people from various backgrounds.
Tell us something about you that most people probably wouldn’t know: When I was at college, I had a full-time job as a postman at the same time. Getting up at 3am, completing a postal route and then going to college wasn’t the most fun, but ever since then I am definitely a morning person. I still get up early and get stuff done as soon as I’m awake.
You can take one book, one film and one CD onto a desert island – what would they be? Book – Lord of the Rings; film – Avengers: Infinity War. There aren’t many films that I would watch over and over again but this has to be up there with the best; CD – Queen – Greatest hits. (I don’t think I would ever get bored of listening to Queen, it would also help that Bohemium Rhapsody is very long, so it would take up a lot of time on a desert island.)
Your five dream dinner party guests, dead or alive? Stephen Hawking, Steve Jobs, Freddie Mercury, William Shakespeare and Adrian Newey.
What would you choose to eat for your last supper? Pretty boring, but I don’t think you can beat a traditional Sunday roast with all the trimmings.
