24 Jul From an Eltham garage to a global market for Development Director, Andrew

Andrew Thomas was just 13 when he was first introduced to work at the family business.  Contacta was started by his father, Bert, and stock was held in his granddad’s garage, where Andrew earned pocket money stock-taking.

After starting his professional career with Midland Bank, he was tempted by the offerings of the Army recruitment office next door, but the long hot summer of 1976 changed his mind.

“I knew I didn’t want to work in the bank but my dad wasn’t keen on me joining the Army either, so he put me to work as an extra pair of hands for our installer,” remembers Andrew.

After a couple of years, Andrew started doing small installations and maintenance visits himself, and soon progressed to become a fully-fledged maintenance engineer.  He then spent time working in stock control, and in the mid-1980s, he moved into the sales side of the business.

“Dad always gave me good advice and if I didn’t get a sale, we’d talk through why we thought I wasn’t successful.  He always told me that if you can’t answer a question, don’t try to wing it.

“It was great experience.  It meant I was comfortable talking to someone on the shop floor and higher up.  I learned to be responsive, to build relationships and deliver what I said I would.”

The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 brought an increased awareness of the need for assistive listening technology and Andrew worked closely with UK charities Hearing Link and RNID.  His relationship with these end-user organisations, and his position in the sector, meant he was ideally placed when it was clear an industry body was needed.

Andrew took on the vice-chairmanship of the International Hearing Loop Manufacturers Association, and then became chair, a position he continues to hold.

He works with the National Register of Access Consultants and sits on committees for the British Standards institute, reviewing and rewriting standards governing access to public buildings.

“We have a good reputation at Contacta because of our focus on the end user,” he says.  “Working with organisations like RNID helps to raise the profile of hearing loops which creates demand, and ultimately more accessibility for people with hearing loss.”

Outside of the office, Andrew’s free time revolves around football.  He’s a die-hard Millwall fan, thanks to his granddad who used to walk from Bermondsey to the Isle of Dogs to watch them play in the early 1900s.

His youngest son plays non-league football and his eldest son runs children’s football teams, so most weekends are spent watching a game at some level.

Andrew is proud of the family-feel he and brother Simon have created at Contacta.  He says strong relationships are one element behind the company’s success, as well as wrap-around support for clients.

“Our way of doing things is not to give a customer a kit and walk away, it’s the whole package of specifying, installing and maintaining it.

“Our reach is now a global one.  In the early 90s, we only had a small number of staff – back then, I wouldn’t have thought our products would be in Bangkok, Australia or India.”