Bill Beese, Director, S Z Gears Limited

WINNER: Businesses with Less than 250 employeees

SZ Gears and its sister company Dibone Engineering manufacture engineering for major companies across South Wales and Southern England.

Bill had a huge impact on his community in Risca when he led a management buyout of SZ Gears in 2002. At the time the company was facing a tough time, and the previous four years it lost almost half of its workforce. After he took over, Bill also bought another manufacturing site and increased group sales by 300% and profits by 700%. The workforce has now increased to 32.

He led a team which took the risk of borrowing the money to make the acquisitions and put their careers in jeopardy by supporting a failing company during a time when the steel industry was also not as successful.

He started out as a man of the tools but has undertaken a Cardiff Business School sustainable leadership programme to teach him the skills to be a senior manager, at the same time as motivating and educating the staff.

He has been an inspiration to his workforce, who have now paid off all the loans, and making the money which allowed them to buy the sister company Dibone Engineering, and the site in Risca.

Bill has led his team to success.

Tell us something your colleagues don’t know about you?

I appeared on a Welsh Language TV programme about ball room dancing

Who inspires you?

Alan Davies of TELOS partners and former Welsh Rugby Coach

What is your top leadership tip?

Listen to what people say