Dutchman Dirk Vennix is no stranger to facing challenges.
Having held key positions in both the tobacco and gambling industries, he now finds himself representing a sector closer to his heart as CEO of the newly launched Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI).
After a whirlwind start – Mr Vennix was unveiled at the CTI launch in June just a day after being appointed – he is keen to make an impression as he leads the new umbrella organisation which aims to become a strong united voice for the timber supply chain from forest to end of life/recycling, representing producers, manufacturers and distributors of wood based products.
Meeting for our interview at the Building Centre in London, Mr Vennix is keenly aware of the great opportunities and potential pitfalls that await him.
And he is knows that the CTI’s formation is significant, coming after literally decades of talk within the industry about the need for such a single, united industry voice.
He is ambitious to seize the day and encouraged by the pledges of support from 33 organisations.
"I definitely want to make my mark on the timber industry.
"Why this job really appeals to me is because it is going to help me achieve the values I believe in. The vision is all about timber being the most sustainable low carbon construction material and that is definitely close to my heart.
Background
Mr Vennix can trace his love for timber to his colourful and international childhood – he moved from country to country for his first 17 years due to his father’s job with the UN.
Born in Israel, he was initially schooled at a convent school staffed by French nuns and studied French, English, Hebrew and Arabic. He moved around the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
"We travelled all around the world," he recalls. "Probably my first affinity with wood was living on a boat on a lake in Kashmir."
"As I have lived a lot abroad in countries, you get to appreciate wood as a construction material. It’s also used a lot over there for furniture products. I grew up with wood around me."
Mr Vennix’s path to the CTI has been a long and varied one – starting off his working life as a journalist for newspapers and magazines (including a construction sector title) in Holland.
He was head of public relations for a local council for a number of years but came to the UK after meeting his Irish wife to be in Australia on holiday.
"I loved this country. Even as I grew up, I had the UK ingrained in my heart."
In the UK he secured the post of head of marketing and communications at John Moores University, where his job was to attract students to university – experience he will look to draw from as part of the CTI’s skills and education agenda.
Spells then followed at Centrica as British Gas public relations manager and also project manager supporting Centrica CEO Sir Roy Gardner in leading the government’s Apprenticeships Task Force.
He was then recruited as director of operations at Enterprise Insight to increase the impact of a not-for-profit national campaign to encourage entrepreneurship.
His two most recent positions were director of communications at the Tobacco Manufacturers Association (TMA), and CEO of the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB).
Achievements included promoting energy efficiency with the Energy Saving Trust at Centrica, while at the TMA he led a campaign to educate tobacco retailers about underage smoking as well as confronting the illicit tobacco sector.
At the ABB he delivered a Code of Conduct and also had to prepare a case for the whole bookmaking sector as a legitimate retail sector, during a time when the government was scrutinising impacts of the Gambling Act.
"I went in front of the Select Committee and had to know all the facts and figures, making arguments that helped to deliver on behalf of the industry."
Asked if his tobacco role had been difficult, due to the harm tobacco can do to people’s health, Mr Vennix said he was personally a Dutch libertarian and that it was the individual’s right to choose whether to smoke or not.
"When you look at those sectors there is always a debate about public health which needs to be balanced with the business case for the sector."
"There was always the challenge of the legislative proposition. It was a highly scrutinised, fluid and complex sector to work in."
"But the timber industry is also complex and is subject to a lot of commercial and regulatory pressures."
"I have built up a network of contacts across broad areas of government and have a good understanding of the decision making processes."
Targets
Three main targets for Mr Vennix are setting a budget, finding the right people to represent all parts of the supply chain on the CTI Board and coming up with a strategic plan centred around three key areas – value and growth; sustainability and quality; and skills and education.
The unifying theme will be Wood First and the CTI’s dodecahedron logo represents the various facets of the industry, including the paper, furniture and biomass sectors to give a comprehensive and holistic representation of the entire wood supply chain.
"I do believe I have an open mind. I want to build a strategic plan, but first I need to talk to people across the supply chain to hear their concerns and what useful data they have. We need their evidence, if we do not have that we can’t achieve the goals and lobby effectively."
"I want to include all the links in the supply chain and together we can build a compelling proposition and business case which will be delivered by a strategic coalition of companies and trade associations."
Within the key focus area of value and growth, the CTI will examine what type of industry support is needed (such as tax breaks or government incentives), identify gaps and detail growth prospects.
In skills and education, the CTI will identify where apprenticeships are needed, where the skills shortages are and what is needed in terms of funding and infrastructure.
CTI plans may involve a timber industry schools ambassadorial scheme, as well as projects to educate and influence contractors.
"The timber industry has a good opportunity to set the agenda of sustainability and the low carbon economy."
"But we need the support of major companies and trade associations."
Next steps
In September a meeting of all 33 supporting bodies will be held to form three working parties, each looking at one of the three CTI focus areas.
In November, the CTI plans to organise a parliamentary event at the House of Commons to start promoting the whole of the timber supply chain to government.
It will also identify and form a group of supporters in the Commons and Lords, as well as attend political party conferences in the autumn.
Funding, Mr Vennix admits, will be a clincher if the CTI is to achieve its aims.
The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) is initially funding the organisation, but a membership funding model will be shared at the September meeting.
"I want to make the CTI self-sufficient and an independently operating not-for-profit company next year," said Mr Vennix.
"The whole supply chain really needs to back it with sufficient funding."
A major spring conference next year will see a wide range of stakeholders invited and a number of key projects announced. Mr Vennix encouraged companies and organisations to contribute to the process with useful data and knowledge, so a compelling industry narrative could be created to help the industry have an effective seat at the top table of decision-making.
"It’s all up for grabs what we are going to focus on. But I cannot do this job if I do not have the resources to plan with. We also have to have a coherent business case to back up our arguments."
Mr Vennix realises consensus building will be important and he plans to engage in discussions with several large organisations who are not yet supporters. This includes the British Woodworking Federation, Wood Panel Industry Federation and the Confederation of Forest Industries (ConFor). He said he highly valued their important contributions to the overall sector.
And CTI will also work with timber sector promotional campaign Wood for Good, acknowledging the latter’s valuable work with local authorities and the construction sector in promoting wood.
Mr Vennix said his experience in helping to change the mindsets of local authorities while at the ABB would come in useful.
He said it was important for the industry to gather around a unifying message, with statistics and data to back it up, and be confident of what it wanted government to help it with.
"It’s not going to be easy and there will be challenges. But I have overcome quite a few challenges over the years and I really do believe in problem solving at all levels."
Away from the office, Mr Vennix is still thinking about wood – he is currently doing a house renovation project in the Chilterns.
"We bought an old house in a conservation area and we’re restoring it to its former glory."
An oak staircase has been installed and an oak floor also just gone in.
He can also be found some weekends at Arsenal FC, as he is a season ticket holder at the Emirates – a legacy from the Gunners’ double winning year of 1970/71 which was ingrained when he went to primary school at the RAF base in Nicosia, Cyprus.
