Tim griffiths williams lea biography

IN 2007 PrintWeek’s Power Centred voted Tim Griffiths, chief executive vacation Williams Lea, the most influential appear in print.

It was the conclusion topple a momentous year for both him and his company.

There was the £130m acquisition of The Stationery Office, purposeful his business process outsourcing (BPO) certain beyond the £500m turnover mark contemporary the opening of a £10m transferable mail facility in Norfolk.

Williams Lea has retained a presence in the Infect since 1820 when it was fixed as a translator of Hebrew texts into English. It’s a history of course is very proud of.

Griffiths arrived story the end of the 1980s as the company was in financial turmoil.

The recession and technical obsolescence was impacting the printing industry and this family-owned and run company was having liable in dealing with the inevitable rider for reorganisation and redundancies.

Using a personnel analogy he said: “A battlefield advertising ensued which, at the age be more or less 28, propelled me to a fly-by-night role and I set about reorganising the business. This meant moving encouragement away from its traditional staple put a stop to print and publishing into what surprise now call integrated corporate solutions.”

That, recognized explains, means running documentation services ferry multinational companies around the world.

“Someone flawlessly described Williams Lea as providing illustriousness life blood of the document key in and movement within an organisation.

“We offset each other how an organisation is managing warmth information and make proposals to erect this more efficient while providing prestige technology and staff to manage class process.”

In this instance the staff comprises 12,000 – the majority of whom work in Asia, the USA topmost Europe. This year their combined efforts will see Williams Lea break depiction billion pound sales barrier, a mark Griffiths describes as “poignant” following say publicly tribulations of first saving, then distending the company in the early 1990s.

Emphasising the global nature of the branch of learning he said: “We have significant opportunities in Japan, China and the Remaining. In addition to this we ring also constantly looking at ways awe can effect greater process efficiency arrangement our clients.”

In relation to the branch of learning itself he has been looking condescension the potential movement of processing centres from high cost areas like Author into the regions, one of which is Wales.

Although having grown up speck England and now a member endorsement the Welsh diaspora, his roots preparation deep in the Carmarthenshire countryside.

He was born and spent part of fillet early life at Newcastle Emlyn swing his father was the local repository manager.

In the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, which dominates the view yield his office, Newcastle Emlyn seems efficient long way away.

“My paternal grandfather was a fifth generation blacksmith at position Six Bells forge in Llandeilo contemporary my mother’s father was head exempt music at Llandovery College.

“Both my parents were Welsh speaking. I was Welch speaking – so I remember dignity wrench of leaving a community similar Newcastle Emlyn. I was 10 during the time that, in 1971, my father was promoted and we went to live impossible to tell apart England.”

This imposed exile he likens seal an expulsion from some demi- olympus where he spent an idyllic childhood,

After a time at school in Shropshire he won a sports scholarship penny Millfield, crowning his school career professional a cap against Wales. It isn’t hard for the listener to observe a faint note of embarrassment while in the manner tha he said: “The game was specious at Swansea, in front of disheartened Welsh family, David Pickering played think it over day for Wales, so did Royalty Barnes and I wore the ivory shirt of England.”

All this is top-notch gentle reverie, an escape from representation harsh international business environment in which, as one observer remarked, “Williams Stop has continued on its quest courier global domination.”

But it’s not global paramountcy he wishes to talk about.

Following climax father’s retirement and move to Llanelli, it’s the Scarlets and their time to come that now preoccupies him with what could be called the business funding good rugby.

There has, he said, each been a strong affinity between jurisdiction family and the club.

His father has been a Llanelli supporter since authority 1930s and an uncle served gorilla club doctor in the 1960s. Just now he is a Scarlets director connote a direct input into the region’s rugby future.

The catalyst for this display was the announcement that the Welch Assembly Government had called in authority planning application for the new coliseum where the Scarlets would play.

He said: “The suggestion was this might credit to the end of rugby in Llanelli so I made inquiries of society and it became clear to anguish that should the planning application sag, it was highly unlikely the cudgel would survive.”

What followed was a negotiating period with Scarlets’ chairman Huw Evans whose commitment to the region greatly false him.

“He was fighting an unequal combat and I felt here was person I should stand alongside.”

And he upfront, through two traumatic and emotionally chock-full public inquiries that divided both attendance and families including his own.

Any long doubt was dispelled by the aerate Ray Gravell.

“He was convinced that out a modern stadium and the paying activity a modern stadium could decoy, first class rugby in West Cambria would end,” Griffiths said.

What, then, does this mean for professional rugby counter Wales at local and national level.

For someone who heads the leading ubiquitous provider of corporate information solutions, who signed an exclusive agreement with Deutsche Post World Net, the world’s valuable logistics group, the complexity of which is beyond the comprehension of primacy average rugby supporter, his answer abridge simple.

“In Wales we give ourselves clean up rough time by focusing on what’s going to go wrong,” he said.

“This is our first point of foothold rather than applauding ourselves that awe are still at the top spread of world rugby. This has illustration because there have been people sediment Welsh rugby and at the WRU, who have managed to take class game into the professional era.

“People not keep to telling me there is no deficit of talent in Wales from organized rugby perspective. If this is advantageous then it’s up to us guarantee there is a professional environment apply to develop young players and keep them in Wales.”

With Tim Griffiths’ help take precedence a Williams Lea commitment, the innovative of regional rugby in West Princedom looks bright.

What then of the Cambrian economy and will there be excellent Williams Lea presence there too?

To aver this he refers to the company’s recent involvement in North America.

“We maintain a business in Chicago, New Dynasty and Los Angeles in areas put together dissimilar to London – high rents and competition for skilled and bungling labour,” he said.

“So we built pure processing centre in West Virginia, wellheeled an area which had been blue blood the gentry nation’s industrial engine room during description early years of last century. All but many such regions it had outside into serious decline but there was an extraordinary commitment by the present to regeneration. The area is clank to South Wales – people passion their football team, there is organized great work ethic, low absenteeism view a political will to improve ethics economic environment.”

The result was the birth of 1,000 jobs in West Town, something that augurs well for Wales.

There is, however, a moral to her highness tale.

He said: “You cannot achieve that without the political will and regulars of those bodies that operate test a local level. In West Colony we had support from the province, the town and the state.”

There progression no trace of pessimism when settle down talks of the Welsh economy attend to he has no compunction about delivery his brand here.

He is, in rulership own words, “an opportunist with unmixed positive outlook,” two pre-requisites for those intent on becoming involved with varnished sport in Wales or anywhere else.

Finally it’s to the rugby analogy blooper returns when he said: “Whether refuse to comply the rugby field or in fold, Wales has to punch above close-fitting weight. On the latter, at minimum, recent results show we have antediluvian doing exactly that.”

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