Employment History
Tennants Food Ingredients (Charles Tennant & Co Ltd) April 2016 - Present
Employed as a UK Sales Manager working on the road/from home to sell natural raw materials into the food and pharmaceutical industries covering a growing customer list with current sales of £2.5million. As well as the normal activities of prospecting and growing sales the role also includes a large amount of product and supplier management. As the UK distributor for 3 major manufacturers in the industry it is my job to liaise, negotiate cost prices and communicate with the suppliers as well as fulfil my sales duties. It could be considered a combined Sales and Product Manager role.
Tennants Distribution Limited (Manchester) July 2013 - April 2016
Employed in a purchasing/commercial assistant role for a national Chemical Distribution company which later involved IT support cover.
Reporting to the Purchasing/Commercial Manager I was in control of the day-to-day purchasing of a large portfolio of bulk chemical products from a wide range of suppliers. This required accurate stock planning based on customer orders, forecasts, seasonal variations, market conditions, supplier availability, lead times & pricing.
The role also involved a large amount of souring and re-sourcing of products from a wide range of suppliers using my industry knowledge and supplier analysis/KPIs to judge the performance and competitiveness of suppliers to select the best source for the business. Sourcing across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world gave me experience with the aspects of importing from inside and outside of the EU, including legislation, restrictions, duty, anti-dumping etc.
Very important to this role was maintaining good supplier relationships which included ensuring the meeting of key suppliers regularly.
The commercial aspect of the role required me to organise and complete Tenders/RFx for a wide range of different customers, this part of the role built on my purchasing experience to be able to source and provide the most competitive overall package the business could offer as well as full and accurate completion of customer questionnaires/requirements.
On occasion I was required to act as backup IT Support for 5 sites which covered a range of tasks from day-to-day admin to central server issues.
The University of Manchester February 2011 - February 2013
Initial 6 Months
Employed to synthesise and conduct investigations and analysis on a novel material (Fluorographene) to support a patent application. Working under strict confidentiality and non-disclosure rules whilst also liaising with consultants, patent attorneys and external analysis agencies.
Following 18 Months
Primary Research - Larger scale synthesis of Fluorographene and investigations into alternative routes of synthesis for the production of Fluorographene.
Secondary Research - Using alternative methods and manipulation of Graphene and Graphene Oxide for use in the synthesis of Fluorographene and related materials.
Brown's Removals, Fitters & Warehouse Managers 2000 - 2011
Part of a team of Office Fitters and Removers coordinating and conducting office removals, layouts changes and fit outs. Also included filing, archiving, sensitive data destruction and other clerical work when required as well as a period of warehouse management, reorganisation and database creation for easy access and maintenance of a file store.
Professional Skills
My professional skills now cover a wide range of areas across purchasing, sales, IT and scientific research.
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Publications
Pentafluoropropenyl Complexes of Mercury, Germanium, Tin, and Lead Derived from
(Z)-CFH-CFCF3 and Their Use as Transfer Reagents
Alan K. Brisdon, Robin G. Pritchard, and Anthony Thomas
Organometallics, 2012, 31 (4), pp 1341-1348 
DOI: 10.1021/om2009843
Conference Attendance
- 19th International Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry, 23-28 August, 2009, Wyoming, USA
(Poster Presented) - 9th RSC Fluorine Subject Meeting, September 2009
(Poster Presented) - Annual RSC Main Group Chemistry Discussion Group Meeting, September 2009
(Poster Presented)
Personal Interests
TaeKwon-Do
Over the past 20 years TaeKwon-Do has been my main recreational interest and in that time I have achieved the grade of 3rd Degree Black Belt. I was in the past selected as part of the national team, winning national and international competitions. As part of my training I became a fully qualified TaeKwon-Do instructor and have in the past acted as an assistant instructor at my local TaeKwon-Do School.
Hobby Electronics
Over recent years my main hobby has been based around Hobby Electronics, especially as a new home owner with an interest in Home Automation. I have designed and made various temperature sensors and a central heating control system to create a set-up similar to that of the Nest/Hive devices available. My projects mainly involve the use of Arduinos, Raspberry Pis and ESP8266s with some PCB design.
Photography
I also like taking photos from time to time. Some examples are shown here and here.
Education
The University of Sheffield 2005 - 2008
3 Year undergraduate degree covering all the essentials of Chemistry. Skills acquired include data handling, Excel and Word proficiency and working as part of a group.
Holy Cross Sixth Form College, Bury 2003-2005
| 4 A-Levels | |
| Chemistry | C |
| Physics | D |
| Politics | D |
| General Studies | D |
St. Gabriels RC High School, Bury 1998-2003
| 9 GCSEs | A*-B |
| Maths | A* |
| Science | AA |
| English | AB |