Stiltz Homelifts appoints new director of UK consumer operations to build on solid foundations
Homelift manufacturer Stiltz is hoping the experience of Darryl Cope, its newly appointed Director of UK Consumer Operations, will help take its customer experience to the next level.
Starting his career as a joiner, Darryl did not have the traditional entry into management. Instead he began by obtaining a practical understanding of both quality and attention to detail while tackling issues head-on. He said: “I think this has been the anchor across everything I do. I derive a lot of my work ethic from those early days.”
As Director of UK Consumer Operations Darryl’s role will be cross-functional; from customer communication to building and installation and after-sales care. He will be responsible for an extensive field-based team as well as customer-facing staff at Stiltz West Midlands’ Head Office.
Darryl’s journey towards Stiltz has seen him completing a business degree after which he moved into a management position at Space4, the manufacturing division of Persimmon PLC. In his six years there, he progressed to Operations Manager. His next role was Head of Operations at BD Living before a life change prompted him to head out to Las Vegas and complete a Business Masters.
Armed with newly-acquired skills he returned to the UK to work at Alno Kitchens as Operations Director following this with becoming Managing Director at Stokes Kitchens, where he stayed for five years. The way in which Darryl balances business growth while building great employee relationships appealed Stiltz as it closely matches the company’s own management vision.
Discussing what he is hoping to achieve at Stiltz Darryl says: “I’ll be looking at how the business operates on a granular level, making sure we’re working smarter for our customers,” he explains.
“Creating a connection between the Board and the Field Teams by strengthening lines of communications is really important. It helps to empower people, especially as the business continues to grow and structures formalise. The results will obviously be measured against service satisfaction and the bottom line.”
His initial brief from CEO Mike Lord has been to fully immerse himself in the business, soak up the culture with no immediate responsibilities except to visit sites and engage with the build teams and customers nationally.
So, what excited Darryl about Stiltz Homelifts? “The culture here is very ‘me’,” he explains. “I understand the vision of ‘democratising homelifts’; it resonates with me personally because my parents are at the age where they’re thinking about their mobility.”
A family man with four young daughters and a dedicated footie fan he also warmed to the Stiltz approach to business feeling it reflected his own values and business goals. “I am in this for the long haul,” he says.
CEO Mike Lord is delighted to welcome Darryl into the fold. He says: “We have spent the last 12 years refining our homelift range, which is world beating. Our service is outstanding but we know there are always gains to be made. This is where Darryl’s role comes in, especially as we focus on taking the customer experience to even greater heights.”
One of the fastest growing businesses in the homecare and lifestyle lifts sector, multi-national Stiltz is a specialist manufacturer of pioneering through-floor homelifts with its two-person Duo Homelift and three-person, wheelchair-accessible Trio Homelift, delivering an alternative to stairlifts.
