Meet the Regional Business Manager: Lisa Davies-Read
We chat with the Vaillant Regional Business Manager for South and Mid Wales about why she’s excited about the future of the industry and how clay-pigeon shooting helps her unwind
Friday 4 August 2023
Here at Vaillant, our Regional Business Managers are the cornerstone of what we do.
Whether answering queries, helping installers on the road or lending a listening ear, our team consistently goes above and beyond to proudly support you and your business.
We caught up with Lisa Davies-Read, Vaillant’s Regional Business Manager for domestic boilers and heat pumps for the CF, NP, SA, and LD postcodes in Wales, about her role.
Q: How did you get into the heating industry?
A: It wasn’t intentional – yet here I am 18 years later! Now I wouldn’t want to work in any other industry.
Initially, I was looking for an administrative role and ended up getting a job in my local plumbers’ merchant as the branch administrator.
A few years later, I heard that there was a vacancy with a manufacturer as an area sales manager. I became the first female area sales manager for the company. I remained there for four years before joining Vaillant and I’ve been here almost five years now.
Q: What does your usual day involve?
A: No two days are ever the same. Some days I can be visiting installers or merchants, and on others I could be attending exhibitions or organising local installer events. There are certainly no dull days at Vaillant!
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job as a Vaillant Regional Business manager?
A: The interaction with installers, merchants and my Vaillant colleagues. I’m a very gregarious person and I love speaking with people, helping with any issues they may have and solving problems.
Q: How do you make sure you support your local installers?
A: All installers are different and require different levels of support, so understanding each installer or company is key to supporting them in the correct way.
Sometimes it’s as simple as just answering a call or message, but sometimes it can be more in-depth. Being available and doing what you say you will are the most important things.
Q: What’s the best thing about working for Vaillant?
A: Vaillant’s a great company to work for! I love that we are always at the forefront of innovative technology and are always looking to improve our products and the services we provide. Every day brings exciting new challenges.
Q: What’s special about what Vaillant offers to installers?
A: We’ve led the way with the aroTHERM plus heat pump that uses an R290 natural refrigerant, we’ve released our brand-new ecoTEC plus boiler and we’re pushing the industry forward in controls, connectivity and maximum efficiency with technology.
We also offer free product training to Vaillant Advance installers. We help installers achieve their goals. And we have amazing aftersales support, too.
“I love that Vaillant’s always at the forefront of innovative technology”
Q: Could you tell us about a time you went above and beyond to support installers?
A: Last year, there were shortages on components across the industry. I wanted to keep as many people happy as I could and helped in sourcing products. Sometimes, this meant loading my car up with boilers and delivering them where they needed to be.
Q: What are the hot topics that installers are talking about right now?
A: The two main topics are heat pumps and hydrogen. The deadline for new builds to stop installing natural gas boilers [in 2025] is fast approaching.
Heat pumps are going to play a major role in helping the UK market reach the government’s net-zero target by 2050.
Hydrogen-blend boilers will be another solution in the marketplace. And with Vaillant’s new ecoTEC plus boiler being hydrogen-prepared, it will help to ensure we reach our goals.
Q: If you could give installers one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: Don’t be afraid to learn new things! Two years ago, I knew next to nothing about renewable heating systems, but I’m really enjoying the journey so far.
Q: What do you like to do in your downtime?
A: I have a healthy online shopping addiction and probably spend too much time and money on this!
My other hobby is clay-pigeon shooting – it’s so much fun and gets you up bright and early on a Sunday morning. I encourage everyone to give it a go. I also enjoy travel and love exploring new places.
Q: Finally, please tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
A: During lockdown, I managed to shift six stone by cutting out bad foods and taking up jogging. This was short-lived, though – I should’ve also answered ‘eating out’ to that last question [laughs].
Q: How can installers get in touch with you?
A: I’m on X [Twitter], Instagram and Facebook, or they can find me online by searching ‘Vaillant Lisa’. I post about our current offers and local events. Feel free to give me a follow or send a friend request, or contact me on 07802 673738 or by email on lisa.davies-read@vaillant.com