Covered
Covered
2025 was our busiest year to date and 2026 looks set to top that, so we’ve been busy recruiting so that we can continue to offer our customers the highest levels of service. Step forward Tom Cox – the latest addition to our team – who has come with lots of exciting new ideas we can’t wait to share with you…
Great to have you on board Tom! Tell us a bit about your career to date…
I started my career in the motor industry. I worked for five years at Land Rover, before becoming the groups youngest Business Manager at Five Oaks Audi where I worked with a close team and implemented improvements across the board. From there I went to work with my family in their large-scale glazing business. There I looked after lots of high-profile building projects from Heathrow and Luton Airports to large-scale new build housing sites. It was there that I developed my love of construction and finding creative solutions to challenging sites and issues.
What drew you to Fordingbridge?
I’ve been lucky enough to always work for companies that have products I feel genuinely proud to be associated with and it was important to me that that continued. I admire Fordingbridge’s whole ethos and their insistence on only ever delivering the highest quality solutions with the highest quality materials. That was something I wanted to be part of and I love the fact that we are the only company to be able to offer a full in house design, manufacture and installation service.
What do you most enjoy about your role so far?
I love the variety. You can be on site one day helping a customer see potential in an area they might previously have discounted, and the next you’ll be on our factory floor ensuring that a customer’s vision is translating into reality.
Being a part of something you believe in is also a real privilege and I’ve enjoyed discovering how longstanding some of Fordingbridge’s relationships with customers are. I’m focusing a lot on the garden centre sector and its impressive how many centres have relationships with Fordingbridge that span decades. I’m looking forward to developing these relationships and to seeing the centres I work with grow, move into new areas, and succeeding on levels they might never have thought possible.
Is there anything new you will be bringing to Fordingbridge?
Fordingbridge is obviously renowned for its sustainable approach – for ethically sourcing materials, for minimising the carbon footprint of projects by doing everything on one site, and by using materials that can be recycled wherever possible – and that’s something I’m hoping to contribute to. We’ve already installed a few solar canopy solutions and with my background in glazing and specialist BIPV this is something I’m hoping we can explore more in the future with forward-thinking customers.
Again with sustainability in mind, I’m a huge advocate of structural longevity and am spearheading a new maintenance programme for Fordingbridge. Companies that invest in one of our canopies will soon be able to sign up to a maintenance programme that will ensure that canopies are cleaned, looked after and maintained to the highest possible standard to prolong their lifespan – a win for budgets and a win for the environment!
It sounds like you’re going to be busy! What do you enjoy doing in the spare time you have?
It’s ironic that I spend my days talking about all-weather solutions because I seem to spend a lot of my time in driving rain! At the weekends you’ll find me coaching one of my sons grassroots football team, on the football sidelines, mountain biking with my three boys, or going on long dog walks. We’re a sports mad family and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
