Ros Howe
Group HR Director
“Being made a Director is such a huge achievement and even more so for a woman in what is still very much a male led industry.”Ros has been with TRAD for over 18 years. She began as Office Manager/PA to Group CEO Des Moore and whilst her responsibilities have evolved over the years, the two of them maintain a close working relationship with Des describing Ros as his “right hand.” Ros had previously worked as an office manager for a publishing house, a chemical company and a Bond Street Chartered Accountants. Although happy in her role at Bond Street, Ros saw an advert in the Evening Standard for an Office Manager/PA based in Bromley-By-Bow. The advert gave no information about the company, but the non-central London location appealed and Ros applied and successfully got the position.
At the time Ros knew little about scaffolding, construction or where the position would take her but felt she could bring her business and management skills to the role. In her time at TRAD – in addition to supporting Des Moore – Ros has been involved with office management, health & safety, working with legal advisers to protect the company from claims and been involved with training and mentoring. Over the last ten years Ros’s role has become more HR focused, which has broadened out to include all of the Trad Group of Companies with over a thousand employees. Ros enjoys HR because she feels she can make a difference through helping and supporting TRAD employees. She enjoys working with different individuals and teams from across the business and has great support from them all.
She is proud to say she has never lost a tribunal. Ros describes TRAD as a company that gives opportunities and recognises talent and potential, where everyone has the chance to progress with dedication and hard work. This is something she has experienced first hand over the years and in September 2016 Ros was made a Director of TRAD – which she is quite rightly very proud of, even more so for a woman in what is still very much a male led industry. When asked what advice she would give to others, Ros says “be true to yourself, do the right thing, give people a chance and treat them respectfully”. Ros’s success in TRAD is testament to this and reflective of her dedication, friendly personality and professional manner.