Ian Beardsmore
Advanex Europe
Ian Beardsmore
Managing Director, Advanex Europe
Vistage does give you that alternative to talk to someone with a business mind, outside of the business you’re in which is a huge benefit
“Vistage does give you that alternative to talk to someone with a business mind, outside of the business you’re in which is a huge benefit”
Ian Beardsmore
Managing Director, Advanex Europe
Advanex Europe are a global corporation who specialise in precision engineering, producing small metal parts such as springs and clips. As well as providing parts, they are also a solution provider, manufacturing machinery that is more accurate than industry standard. Ian Beardsmore is Managing Director and a Vistage member.
Originally an engineering apprentice, Ian began working at Advanex Europe nine years ago on the manufacturing floor. “From there, I moved into a role as commercial manager for a company in the north east, and that was a big leap for me. I knew about engineering and sales but the running of the business, I was not so comfortable with.” Being a part of a Vistage group exposed Ian to other industries and roles which helped him to understand how each different part of the business worked together.
In 2016, the existing directors of the business built a new management team which would carry the business into the future. “It was an exciting time but I looked around the room and I was aware the new management team had little experience of managing or working outside of Advanex.”
Based on the expertise that Ian had gained from his Vistage membership, he decided to place all of his senior managers into Vistage groups.
“Vistage has developed the less experienced people and it’s given them a wider awareness of the business. Someone who had been in an engineering department all of their life had little concern for sales or finance and the exposure to Vistage members from other businesses and industries has helped broaden that experience.” For Ian, Vistage has helped create a team with a wider view of the business, working towards one goal.
A keen learner, Ian continues to be an active member of his local Vistage group. “I take lots of value from the Vistage group meetings, I like to learn and to sit each month and listen to a speaker, especially as the quality of the Vistage speakers is enormously high.” Through issue processing, a central element of every Vistage meeting, Ian is able to share the challenges that he expects to face in the future, and get insight from the group. “The other group members have been through it and they have solutions, they have experiences where things went right or wrong and listening to those stories and insights helps me to make more informed decisions.”
Ian recognises that there is still lots to learn and he can’t implement every single tool and technique he hears. “I always want to fulfil my potential and that always gets further away. Everytime you get better, there’s always more to learn and more to fulfill, both for me and for Advanex as a company!”