Get to Know: Dan Hadleigh
We want to help you get to know the many exciting and interesting people we have in the KnowledgePoint team. This week, we have Dan, our Head of Print Services.
Let’s get personal…
Describe your favourite moment or experience from your education.
School football tour to Venice. I was 15, three years younger than a lot of the other lads! It was an eye-opener!
What have you learnt in the last 12 months?
I learnt what’s really important in life – Family and friends.
What do you wish you’d been taught in school and why?
I’d have found it a lot easier, and cheaper, to renovate my motorcycles
Who (dead or alive) would you like to meet?
Barry Sheene and George Best, they’d have some stories to tell!
What could you give a 30-minute presentation about with no advance preparation?
Digital print and Yamaha motorcycles
Do you have a favourite quote?
‘I’ve never played for a draw in my life’ – Sir Alex Ferguson
Tell us a surprising or a fun fact about you.
I raced motorcycles for 6 years back in the ’90s and came 5th in the national championship.
Workplace learning and careers…
As the UK further eases coronavirus restrictions, what are your predictions for the learning market?
I think they’ll be an appetite for face-to-face learning as online just isn’t the same but training organisations will offer hybrid training options.
When you think of a good leader, what qualities and skills do you associate with them?
Knowledgeable, confident, hard-working, challenging.
What conditions do you believe are vital for effective learning?
It depends on the individual and how they learn best. Hands-on, face to face or virtual can all work for some but not others. However, what is essential for effective learning is having a knowledgeable and engaging instructor.
What values/motives drive you in the workplace?
Hard work/Providing for family
What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Work hard!
What is your preferred method of learning (repetitive reading, taking notes, cue cards etc)
Practical. Things sink in better when you do them.
What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?
Trying to be someone I wasn’t. I became a better manager when I trusted myself and was true to my values.
If you could get a new skill in 10 minutes, what would it be?
Welding
About your role and KnowledgePoint
Explain your role at KnowledgePoint?
Head of Print Services – I oversee the Production and Stock Control teams
What are your key responsibilities at KnowledgePoint?
To ensure my teams meet the KPI’s and customer expectations for printed material service delivery.
How would you describe KnowledgePoint to someone in the learning sector?
We supply services to the learning industry – print, digital, support and managed services
What’s unique about KnowledgePoint?
Our dedication to the learning sector
What’s the best thing about your current role?
The team I have working with me
What do you bring to the KnowledgePoint Team?
Knowledge and experience
About you, your career history and experience
What was your first job?
Shelf stacker at Gateways supermarket
Please summarise your career history.
Started work at 19 with Microgen On-Demand firstly in the print room, then moving to stock management and procurement. That’s where I met Paul and Andre and when they started KnowledgePoint they hired me to look after day-to-day operations in production, stock control and procurement and been with KP for almost 24 years.
Which three words describe you?
Dedicated, flexible, loyal
Other
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Be yourself
Who do you really admire, and why?
My Dad. A great example of a thoroughly decent bloke
Which product or service do you wish you’d invented/created and why?
Ducati 916 motorcycle – Perfection. Beautiful to look at and amazing to ride.
If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which would you pick?
Spotify, WhatsApp, LastPass.
What do you do for fun/to relax?
Restore and ride motorcycles, DIY/Carpentry, Coach football.
What would be on your desert island playlist?
Just (Radiohead)
One To Another (Charlatans)
Motorcycle Emptiness (Manic Street Preachers)
Live Forever (Oasis)
Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
Heart of Gold (Neil Young)
Grey Cell Green (Neds Atomic Dustbin)
Rock Bottom (UFO).