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6:00 AM 15th March 2021
business

‘10 In 10’ - Claire Mason

 
Claire Mason
Claire Mason
Claire Mason, general manager at water leak detection systems manufacturer, Waterguard, is the latest regional business professional in the hot seat as The Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria Times gives her just 10 minutes to answer our 10 burning questions.

What does a typical working day for you involve?

I wake up at around 7am and help my two children prepare for school – or another day of remote learning! Once they’re organised, I’ll work my way through my emails and make a ‘to-do’ list in order of priority.
My days are incredibly varied and can see me doing anything from reviewing building schematics and answering compliance queries, to speaking with installers or working on product development with the R&D teams.

What makes your company special?

Aside from protecting buildings from expensive water damage, we’re constantly developing our products, with every single piece of customer feedback listened to and actioned on. We don’t just say we put the customer at the heart of what we do, they genuinely influence the products we manufacture.

Do you have any business rules that you swear by?

Never lose your cool. Sometimes work can be stressful, you may have a difficult customer, or it might simply be ‘one of those days’, but it’s important to treat everyone as you’d like to be treated – a cliché maybe, but something that has stuck with me throughout my career.

Do you dress up or down for work?

That all depends on whether I’m seeing anyone! I’ve got ‘office wear’ for the days when I have meetings with customers, suppliers, or insurers, but otherwise its jeans and a t-shirt!

What piece of advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t fear the phone! We’ve all been there, nervous of picking up the phone in case we’re put on the spot with a difficult question – or customer – but it really does help with relationship building, far more than an impersonal email.

What’s your favourite venue for an event or team away day?

We love an excuse for a bit of a party at Waterguard! As a team, we’ve been to some incredible places across the country, but the Waterguard women are looking forward to a trip to Dollhouse in Leeds as soon as we can. The opportunity to get dressed up and let our hair down has been a long time coming!

How do you prefer to travel for business?

In my own car – because it’s nice to have somewhere warm to sit when you’re on a building site in the middle of winter! I usually head to meetings with Waterguard’s project manager, Terri Wilkinson, so she takes care of navigation and the important job of re-tuning the radio along the way.

What’s your favourite place to relax in?

My house – or more specifically, my garden. There’s no better way to chill out than having my friends over for a couple of drinks in the sun. And no children for the day – although that rarely happens.

Where is your favourite place to eat and what dish do you recommend?

The Old Post Office in Barnsley. You can’t go wrong with a big steak, washed down with plenty of red wine.

What do you miss most about Yorkshire when you are away?

The people.