Colouring the world: Jeremy Rowe

It’s an interesting product, paint. Unless we’re redecorating, most of us don’t give it a lot of thought. Yet paint sales can be seen as something of a bellwether for economic prosperity. If we’re feeling good about life and cashflow, we’re more likely to splash out on sprucing up our homes, adding colour and new furnishings. Similarly, sales of industrial paint provide a good insight into commercial activity.  

In fact, the paint business generally is a fascinating one to be involved in, especially if — like Jeremy Rowe — you’re the Managing Director of AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints division in South East and South Asia and the Middle East. He knows that every time a customer buys a can of his paint, they’re not just investing in a product; they’re investing in the potential to turn their home into a more liveable, happy and inspiring place.

True colours

Adding to his professional happiness is the fact he’s currently overseeing the markets in South East and South Asia, and the Middle East, where consumer confidence is much higher than in other areas of the world, which means he has the potential to create many more happy homes. Jeremy has worked for a number of different companies all over the world, advising on strategy and helping businesses to beat off competition and be more successful. More recently, as a freelance consultant, he focused on management development and helping others build their strategic management skills.

When the job at AkzoNobel came up 7 years ago, however, he jumped at it. "I’d always wanted to put my skills into running a business rather than just advising or doing management development," he says. Dulux was a brand he’d grown up with and really liked, and that was another great incentive to come onboard. 

AkzoNobel took over Dulux when it bought ICI in 2008. Dulux is one of those great, well-loved brands, both because of excellent, reliable products and its adorable advertising star: that famous old English sheepdog. Aside from all this, adds Jeremy, "I love the whole area of colour, decoration and design because I see the good it does. It makes people happy and allows them to express themselves. It’s a very positive category."

Intelligent paint

Because the company has such longevity — AkzoNobel’s history dates back to 1646 — everyone is keen both to do business with it and to stock and buy its product. "People know we’re not suddenly going to do a deal and walk away," says Jeremy. On top of this, however, the company still has a buzz and excitement as it continues to evolve. As well as offering an extraordinary range of colours and finishes, the business has a big focus on sustainability and innovation. 

On the innovation side, for instance, it’s produced a range of paints so intelligent it seems it’s only a matter of time before they also sugar soap the walls and apply the paint. The KeepCool technology in Dulux Weathershield exterior paints reflects radiant sun, while the range of easy-to-clean, stain-resistant technology in Dulux EasyClean makes it easier to keep interior paintwork looking good for longer. Meanwhile, the Airfresh technology in Dulux PureAir keeps air fresh after painting, and the mould- and fungus-resistant and antibacterial properties of many of the Dulux paints available are essential for damp, tropical climates.

"These things really help paint do more, and therefore help consumers, architects and designers to make their choices; but it’s also important to have improvements in our services as well," Jeremy continues. The Dulux Visualiser, for example, is an augmented reality-based service which allows customers to see the colours before they paint. In a real-time or off-line video, they can flood their room with the shades of their choice.

Think globally

Being a global company with a massive demand for product means suppliers really want to work with AkzoNobel. That means Jeremy has plenty of bargaining power and can recruit only those suppliers keen to come onboard in reducing the carbon footprint of raw materials. "Innovation and sustainability are the most exciting part of our development today," he continues, "but that requires long-term investment and significant collaborative research and development, and you can’t do that if you only have a transactional relationship with suppliers. You need to work together on these things."

"We want to make the world a more liveable and inspiring place." – Jeremy Rowe

The company also has a lead in recruiting great talent within its immediate workforce. Jeremy’s tactics are not only to win more business but also to win great people at all levels. "People like being part of a good story, and it’s very important we focus on that rather than just, say, cost-cutting or optimising. These are important, but they’re not what fires people up," Jeremy points out. He’s currently excited about the growth in areas such as Vietnam, India and Indonesia, and on top of this kind of buzz and the quality and innovation within the product itself, there’s the knowledge that AkzoNobel is one of the few truly global players in the paint category. 

"You won’t find anyone else who has our kind of footprint, and that creates opportunities to be able to move around the world in areas as diverse as Asia, Europe and Latin America. The other way our global footprint distinguishes us is that the Dulux brand which I work with is one of the few, perhaps the only, decorative paint brands that people can source from country to country." 

Act locally

Indeed, Jeremy recently returned from a trip to the tiny teardrop island of Sri Lanka where he was celebrating with a supplier who has, for the past 50 years, been stocking only Dulux paint. "It reminded me of how enduring these relationships can be if you do it right," he smiles. Obviously, his strategic background is invaluable in this respect; with partners and distributors all over the world, the business can be confident of getting paint to the consumer when they need it. Customers, obviously, want to shop as locally as possible for a myriad of practical reasons. "We need to have very good service, product and delivery," Jeremy insists. 

The company also needs to appreciate the nuances that operate in different cultures, and despite being a global operator, Jeremy is proud of the fact that AkzoNobel is seen as a local company by its various customers and employees. "I think that’s another one of the things we’ve done right. We talk about core strengths like customer focus, a passion for excellence, and winning together; but we also talk about our core principles of safety, integrity and sustainability, so those are the ideals we hope would define us." 

Jeremy expects the geographic scope of his responsibilities to grow. As well as South East Asia, he’s also added India, South Asia, the Middle East and Australia to his portfolio. With that growth will come many more opportunities. "We have a very exciting agenda ahead, so I don’t have to worry about not being busy," he laughs. "My focus is always: how can I help move the organisation forwards to win more and to be more successful and reinvest?" No doubt he’s also looking forward to making millions more people feel happy and inspired — and what better reason could there be to come in to work every morning?