In September, David Briggs presented our new strategy “Win hearts and minds” at the VELUX World Conference in Evian, France. In this interview, he shares a personal perspective and some reflections on the new strategy and VELUX long-term journey.
Q
A
At the VWC four years ago, you took up the role as CEO in VELUX. What kind of journey has VELUX been on for these past four years?
“The last four years have been incredibly eventful. We embarked on a growth journey to sell more windows, but we did not know precisely how to do it when we started the journey. And yet, we have succeeded to grow ‘blue windows’ in almost all countries, firstly by changing our attitudes. We now have a business full of people looking for opportunities, and that is a real change. Four years ago, we could not have dreamed of what we now believe we can do, but everything we have done these past four years has made us better and readied us for the new strategy. We have taken significant and important steps in our marketing – not least digital marketing, our online sales, our product development, our supply chain - and these steps have taken us right to the leading edge of our industry. We now have solutions to bring daylight and fresh air into all types of buildings, something we did not have four years ago. I am extremely proud of this.”
“I can feel a different level of energy in the organisation now compared to four years ago. We have more possibilities for people to deliver great results and people are more focused on the opportunities and the HOW than on the risks and flaws. This is the thing I am most impressed by and proud of, it is a real change!”
“For my own part, I can say that I have learned more in the last four years than in the previous 20. I have gained a whole new perspective on what it means to be CEO for a company like VELUX. It is a fantastic job and it has been great! But I have also learnt that you must have the nature to take on such a responsibility. I am still learning, and there are many things that I can do better or will do differently in the future.”
If we get this right, we will improve even more people’s lives
Q
A
How has COVID-19 affected and changed the way we work in the last couple of years?
“The situation has been horrible for all of us, and certainly one we would have rather been without. But if we look at the business perspective, COVID is a gamechanger for VELUX. Potentially as good for business as the Berlin Wall coming down. We have spent many years talking about the importance of natural ventilation and now it is top of mind everywhere. The need to create better conditions when working from home opens up a lot of possibilities for us and I believe this will continue in the future.”
“Internally, I think we handled it well in terms of securing the business and helping our employees. We made some good decisions in an unprecedented situation. We did not know at the time if it was the right decisions, but we let our core values guide us, and I think the employees felt that. So even if we had been wrong, it would have been okay because we acted in accordance with our values.”
“One of the important things I believe we have learnt from the lockdowns related to COVID is that management by control is rubbish. We can give much more freedom to people than we might have believed possible before, because people want to do a great job and will do so even without us looking over their shoulder.”
Q
A
With our new strategy “Win hearts and minds” we embark on a journey to reposition our category and our brand in the minds of end-customers, making our products true objects of desire and ensuring a great customer experience, end-to-end. What do you find is the most exciting in the new strategy?
“The strategy is based on the fundamental belief that no one has ever wished for less roof windows, but so many people would benefit from more. We have research documenting the positive impact of daylight and fresh air through the roof; basically there is no downside to our products. So if we get this right, not only is it good for VELUX, it will also improve many people’s lives and make happy customers.”
The strategy holds an aspiration for 2030 which will guide us in what we should push for, long-term – a picture of what good looks like in the future
Q
A
This is the first time we have had a business strategy with a long-term focus. What will this mean for the work around the strategy in the coming years?
“The strategy holds an aspiration for 2030 which will guide us in what we should push for, long-term – a picture of what good looks like in the future. At the same time, our two year strategic focus allows us to follow up and adapt in the short-term, on the way to 2030. We need the short-term goals and measurements to be disciplined in what we do now. We don’t want people to put off taking action now, because our strategy is long-term. But we still need a long-term goal to guide our actions today - so we are trying to connect both.”
Q
A
What are the main internal and external factors that make you believe we can succeed with this ambitious target?
“Externally, there are several factors that create a fertile environment for VELUX: Establishment of home offices, renovation of the existing housing stock, a lot of houses in the EU that will need new roofs in the coming years and a growing replacement market. These are all great opportunities for us.”
“Internally, we have invested in digital competencies that not only put us ahead of the curve, but also allow us to be much more relevant to the customer by providing many different ways to connect. We need to get as close as possible to end-customers and provide them with individual, personalized conversation, so they feel we are worth talking to, and we have the technologies to make that possible. But most importantly, we have a different attitude; we seek the opportunities and have a growth mindset, and that will help us succeed.”
Q
A
With the new strategy, we are introducing a customer promise – what will that mean for VELUX and the way we work?
“The customer promise serves as a signal and a constant reminder to us all that everything we do should ultimately benefit the customer. We don’t live up to the promise yet, but this is what we should work towards. Our customers should be at the heart of everything we do, and even though we have unbelievable customer satisfaction scores, we can still do better. So every time we do something, we need to ask ourselves ‘Is this giving the best possible customer experience’?”
Q
A
What message would you like to send to managers and employees across the organisation, as we now embark on this journey?
“Don’t be a passenger. Don’t wait for somebody else to come and tell you what to do. Engage. Be proactive and think about what you can do to contribute. Because everyone CAN contribute. And even if your job is not directly feeding into the strategy, we can all help improve people’s living spaces by becoming ambassadors of the benefits of daylight and fresh air. And we can all help each other see the world through the eyes of our customers.”