Guala Closures Group
Brenda Malarkey, UK People and Culture Director at Guala Closures, is one of the busiest women in manufacturing. Learn how our leadership programmes have helped boost her skills and knowledge as she manages Guala's move to a new facility.
The challenge: preparing for change
"Like any large multinational company, our business evolves all the time. Guala Closures Group operates in five continents, through 30 production plants which generate a sales revenue of €600 million.
"We're the only manufacturer of closures for the whisky industry in Scotland. We also produce bottle-pouring mechanisms for customers including Diageo, Chivas, Edrington, and William Grant & Sons.
"So, we're used to big projects. However, our upcoming move to a £36 million state-of-the-art super-factory in Gartcosh is especially huge.
Pictured: design of the new state-of-the-art super-factory in Gartcosh
"Closing three of our sites and moving a vast number of our employees to a whole new location is a major challenge.
"My focus is on getting the best from our people in all areas and roles. We've been supported with funding, research, and guidance by the Scottish Enterprise Workplace Innovation team for over fifteen years (even before my time at Guala).
"In the context of the factory move, with more internal and physical movement than we’d ever experienced before, the Leading with Change programme seemed like a good investment."
Success summary
Here's how our programme helped Brenda and the team at Guala Closures:
-
Company challenge
Closing three manufacturing sites and moving to a £36 million state-of-the-art factory while maintaining operations
-
Our solution
The Leading with Change programme – six expert-led sessions on how to lead and thrive in times of business change
-
Company impact
Empowered leadership, better organisational communication, greater managerial focus, increased employee engagement, and proactive problem solving
The solution: the Leading with Change Programme
"Our programme trainer James came from an impressive business background, and he had lots of experience.
"He was able to:
- Make us challenge our approach as managers
- Help assess our strategy and find gaps
- Provide action-based applications for the learning
- Illustrate his points with a range of examples
- Share workshop notes and materials that we could tailor to our own situations and use at the office
- Listen and provide balanced advice on how to navigate bottleneck situations
"He helped enable debates within our programme group – a diverse mix of leaders from all industries – and contributed his own insights too.
"Even though we were discussing ‘soft skills’, it wasn’t a soft approach. I found that refreshing. We had robust conversations about managing performance. At every point in this programme, there was an action I could apply to a challenging situation."
The impact: new strategies, tools, and opportunities
"As well as networking opportunities, strategy refinement, and performance tools, the programme made me question what we do, how we do it, and why we need to adjust.
"I think differently because of the programme. I’ve created guides for the managers to use when having conversations with their colleagues. I want them to be focused on having honest conversations at the right times – not just when an issue has become a critical problem.
"Now, managers are more focused and are more likely to deal with unnecessary problems before they interfere with workplace operations.
"I’ve also started coaching the senior management team. The last team meeting we had was probably the most open and productive we’ve ever had – it was a real breakthrough moment.
"My advice? If your business is about to go through a major change, do this programme in advance – it will give you a different outlook."
Got questions?
We've got answers. Talk to us, we can help.