You always have someone who really cares for you

It all started on a Summer evening in June 1986. Moira Thomson was ironing upstairs, when the doorbell rang. At the door was the managing director of VELUX GBI, J. D. Hamilton, who had come to offer Moira a job.

“I had applied for a receptionist position in VELUX, and had just been declined that same morning. So I was very surprised when he offered me a position in customer service starting the following Monday,” recalls Moira. She accepted the offer, and was very excited when she showed up at the office Monday morning. However, no one seemed to know she was coming, so there was no welcoming or onboarding plan. This did not dampen her spirit, though.

Managing mom In 1993, Moira’s daughter Nicola Dicotteo joined VELUX on a one-year youth trainee scheme, and was subsequently offered permanent employment. “It was interesting and quite exciting when Nicola joined. I knew she would be fine, she is a clever girl, and VELUX is a great company that takes care of its people. It has been quite amazing to work together and for me to watch her develop,” says Moira. The two of them don’t speak every day, but they have offices across the hall from each other and frequently eat lunch together. Recently, their professional relationship took a new turn when Nicola temporarily took over management of Moira’s team. But they both handled the change professionally. “It was fine to have Nicola as a manager. We have been sensitive and professional about it. And I try very hard not have an opinion when we are in a meeting, because the old way is not always the best way,” says Moira. “Moira is the most humble person you will ever meet. She is very easy to manage. Never causes any problems,” smiles Nicola.

Work is work and home is home Moira’s other daughter Emma Paterson joined full-time in 2012 after having had several temporary roles while bringing up her daughters. Like her mother and sister, Emma loves working in VELUX, but she has been adamant to make her own way in the company. “Emma doesn’t want people to think she got anything for free because of us,” says Nicola. “It feels a bit more difficult sometimes, because people expect that I know things, or know more than they do because of my mom and sister, and I don’t,” Emma says. Moira and her two daughters are extremely close, and with all three of them working in the same office, one might think that the lines between work life and personal life become blurred, but that is not the case. “When we meet in private, we do not talk about work at all. And we never discuss personal things at work. Work is work and home is home. But you always have someone who really cares about you close by, and that is lovely,” says Nicola.

An award-winning family Both Moira and Nicola have received the KR Award from the Employee Foundation during their time in VELUX. The award is given to employees who in “their exceptional personal achievements have far exceeded expectations.” “I was really shocked when I got the KR Award. It is very prestigious and it was lovely to achieve it, but it was the last thing I expected,” says Moira, who received the award in 2007. Five years later, it was Nicola’s turn, and though she was equally surprised and honoured by the nomination, she also recalls the event as one of the rare occasions where working with her mother had a downside: “At the award ceremony, my mom had told Keith Riddle, who was the Managing Director at that time, all about my colourful youth, and he shared those stories with everyone present.”

The heart of the company is the same After almost 36 years in VELUX, Moira retired at the end of March. When she started tidying her office, she came across an old notebook with handwritten client accounts, including some who are still customers today. “Back then, everything was filled out and filed away manually. We would fill out three sheets of paper for the same thing – a white, a pink and a green copy, and two of those would go straight to the archive. I also remember we would use a farm company to deliver the windows, and sometimes we would get complaints because there was hay stuck to the windows from the farm truck. I really can’t explain how massively different it is now from back then, but the heart of the company is the same. We still share the same values,” says Moira. Retiring feels a little bittersweet, but the time is right. And with Nicola and Emma still in the office, Moira will be able to follow the company from the sidelines. Her daughters, on the other hand, will also need to adjust to the new situation: “I call my mom Moira at work, so I am looking forward to getting ‘Mom’ back,” Nicola laughs. And Emma adds: “I am going to miss my mom. I will need to get a lift with someone else now.”