Meet the Team – 5 Minutes with Chris Westbury
We caught up with Chris Westbury, COINS UK Chief Operating Officer to find out more about his role.
With an MA in Economics, Chris lectured in Economics before moving into the construction industry initially working in Finance and Market Analyst roles. He joined COINS as a consultant in 1998, eventually going on to head the COINS Implementation Team in the UK in 2005. In 2010 he headed up COINS Implementation in Australia and Asia Pacific before returning to the UK to head up COINS UK Product and Delivery. Chris has been UK Chief Operating Officer of COINS, construction technology specialists, since 2015.
What does your job entail?
In my current role I’m responsible for a very wide remit which covers the operation of the business. This includes all UK projects, around 200 customers systems in the COINS Cloud, mobile services, technical services and infrastructure in the UK. I’m very fortunate to have a fantastic team of trusted and knowledgeable individuals working with me. It’s important to me to give people the freedom to develop and grow their skills and knowledge. It’s those people who make the business. My job means that I’m always looking and planning for the future of COINS as well at the present. Our Business Continuity Plan for COINS is perhaps a great current example of that.
People are a little surprised when we say that this has been around for a few years and already included a scenario for pandemic. It’s meant that we’ve had a pragmatic response that has put the safety of our teams at the forefront of everything that we are doing, whilst ensuring we deliver a continued and uninterrupted service to our global customers.
Chris Westbury, COINS UK Chief Operating Officer
What is a typical day like?
Varied and never dull (or short!). A key element of what I do of course is to guide and support the UK and wider global teams. This includes everything from assisting with sales to new customers, improving our management and delivery methods, staff training and development, assisting our customers in maximising the value that they get from us and helping to ensure that we learn, grow and constantly look to improve what we do and how we do it.
What's a common question you get from customers?
There are loads. Probably too difficult to choose a single one. They can be about the construction software solutions that we offer, the construction services that we provide and the value that we can provide in terms of cost and time benefits. Our customers are always keen to know ‘what’s next?’
What do you like most about your job?
There’s great satisfaction in knowing that in a huge number of ways we’re helping our customers to develop and grow, in turn creating the built environment that we live, work, travel and relax in. If you look around you and see our homes, bridges, roads and public buildings and understand what’s gone into such complex processes it’d be impossible not to feel a little pride. Even more than that however, is developing the next COINS team member to do the same.
What do you see as the next trend/technology that will have the biggest impact on the construction sector?
Finally delivering the 30 year dream, reducing and getting rid of paper. On site mobile construction technology, AI and machine learning, automated processes will all work to reduce the flow of paper, free up productive time and ultimately allow people in the construction sector to spend more time being innovative, creative, inventive and productive. We are heading into an exciting period which will positively impact the sector and as a result the built environment that we all live in. What’s better than that?
What’s the most recent app you’ve downloaded?
I’m a big advocate of Uber!
Interested in finding out more about COINS construction solutions?
COINS construction software is powerful and scalable solution which will help you work better with subcontractors, suppliers and workforce - on site, off site, on the road and in the office.
With over 35 years of experience of providing construction industry software and thousands of people all over the world using our construction technology COINS construction technology can deliver outstanding value to your construction business.
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