April 3^rd 2024

Putting our Managing Director Harry Wickham in the spotlight!

Our MD, Harry Wickham, spoke to BusinessLive as part of its 10 questions feature and gave an insight into everything from his first job as a sign-fitter, the best business advice he has received, to what makes the North East a good place to do business and his dream of being a TT racer!

What was your first job (and how much did it pay)?

I worked as a sign-fitter for my brother’s little sign business – he’ll hate me for saying it was ‘little’! I was on £5 per hour, which wasn’t great, but through that job I met a lot of people from Newcastle’s business community – and I really enjoyed that. Some of them are still good mates to this day!

What is the best advice or support you’ve been given in business?

The best advice I’ve been given is that you should empower the people in your business to make decisions. You should encourage team members to truly ‘own’ their roles. I’ve applied that advice in my leadership role at Gate 7.

What are the main changes you’ve seen in your business/sector, and what are the challenges you’re facing?

Print is dying away in many areas, and long standing pillars in our sector are wobbling. Consider for a moment the amount of printed material we encounter in our daily lives compared to 10 years ago, things have changed massively and will continue to do so.

Innovation is key at Gate 7. For instance, our SEV HT of Superior Engineered Vinyls were developed to match and overcome the harsh environments our customers equipment operates within. It’s a specialist product for a specialist market and proving to be a big hit.

What would your dream job be?

My current role could well be it! Sport is a real passion for me and luckily my job allows me to pursue that passion, while still leading the business. That said, in my next life, I’d like to come back and race the Isle of Man TT.

What advice would you give to someone starting out a career in your sector?

That would be the same advice I would give to anybody starting out with anything. No hill is worth dying on and don’t be afraid to keep moving. Listen to your gut and if you don’t like something make a change.

What makes the North East a good place to do business?

North East England has ‘graft’ ingrained in its DNA and we revel in it! Sometimes this can be taken for granted, but it’s a rare quality.

Also, I know that here in the Team Valley, if I have an issue – no matter what it is – there is someone who can help me no more than 20 minutes away. That’s a real bonus!

We certainly have an exceptional network of manufacturing support at our fingertips in the North East, and long may that continue.

How important is it for business to play a role in society?

People are the lifeblood of a business. Yes, I know that’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s true. I don’t think you can overstate the impact that quality jobs can have on an area and a community, and it’s vital that businesses provide these jobs. I want the people in Gate 7 to thrive in and out of work… not just scrape by.

I have been working with the CBI, which combines the voices of the business community to lobby Government. People are facing a variety of challenges at the moment, for example the increasing cost of getting to work, childcare provision and the cost of living crisis etc. I try my best to raise these issues to a higher platform.

Outside of work, what are you really good at? 

I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time getting pretty good at a few things … but in the last few years I feel like I’ve mastered – to the point of making it an art – extracting joy out of the everyday and making every day a good day, no matter what the weather or workload is like.

Who would play you in a film about your life?

Probably Owen Wilson… or perhaps Jonny Knoxville!

Which three people would you invite to a dinner party?

I would keep it as friends and family (unless Owen or Jonny were free)! So, it would be a chilled one with my partner Lauren, my mate Joey and my sister, Kate.

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