Focus on Williamson staff
This staff member profile will hopefully give our customers more of an insight into our business and help improve the relationship we have with you. Let us know what you think!
Simon Stewart, Marketing Manager
Mountain biker, goats cheese fanatic and ‘belt and braces’ man.
Simon handles a wide range of marketing activity from the production of our regular promotional brochure and other printed or display material to social media, public relations, writing blogs, sponsorships, advertising and organising events like trade shows. He works closely with suppliers on joint promotional activity and ensures branding and visual content is accurate.
Q. How did you get the job with Williamson’s?
A. I was self-employed offering public relations and copywriting services but fancied a change just over a year ago. My marketing experience and a general interest in food and drink as well as a pretty close affinity with the Highlands sealed it for me
Q. What are three words that best describe Williamson Foodservice?
A. Committed | Loyal | Friendly
Q. What do you like most about your job?
A. I enjoy creating messages that let customers know how wide our product range is. When I started, I was amazed at the sheer volume and variety.
Q. What’s the most challenging part of your job?
A. Probably keeping on top of a continually changing digital and social media landscape.
Q. What does a typical day look like for you?
A. First thing I look at Twitter and respond or share anything that is relevant like our daily produce stock sheet and market information. For the rest of the day I can be working up a new promo brochure, organising a trade show, scheduling social media posts or writing a blog for our website.
Q. What gives you the most satisfaction in your role?
A. Learning about new and existing products and effectively communicating this to our customers to help them achieve their food and drink goals.
Q. What products can customers expect to be hearing more about?
A. Local and Scottish products are what consumers are most interested in and what we as a company are always looking out for. Watch this space!
Q. What are your hopes or ambitions for the food and drink industry?
A. I hope essential investment in infrastructure like roads and basic visitor amenities in many areas is progressed as soon as possible so that the North of Scotland’s tourism/food and drink industry can continue to grow sustainably whilst realising its full potential.
Q. Name something that would surprise people about your role?
A. I’m often found snooping about the produce warehouse looking for interesting fruit and veg pics to tweet about!
Q. What’s your earliest food memory?
A. Churning milk into butter in primary school!
Q. What’s your passions in life or what do you like to do in your spare time?
A. Mountain biking, off road triathlons, trail running, reading sports autobiographies and whisky.
Q. If you could swap jobs with anyone else, whose would you want?
A. Mountain biking or snowsports journalism would be pretty nice!
Q. Do you have a favourite holiday destination and what’s so special about it?
A. Banff in Canada is my all-time number 1 for great outdoor sports, great food and great people.
Q. If you had one meal to choose what would it be?
A. Anything with goats cheese!
Q. Are there any words or phrases that you either overuse or people know you for?
A. I’m a bit of a ‘belt and braces’ man!
Q. What’s top of your bucket list?
A. Get back to Banff, Canada asap!
