Stancold’s strengthened Senior Management Team is shaping a new phase of organisational growth, enabling us to elevate our capabilities and deliver greater value to customers across the UK. Our upcoming content will spotlight each SMT leader and the strategic value they bring to the business.
It’s fitting to begin with one of the most client‑facing roles within the SMT, Sales Director Matt Jinks. CEO Chris Honer, who collaborated with Matt in an earlier role, knew he was the right leader to elevate our sales strategy and deepen client engagement across the sector.
Matt brings sales leadership experience from both multinational organisations and smaller firms, applying a consistent, disciplined approach throughout his career regardless of company size or sector.
‘An effective sales strategy begins with understanding the client’s viewpoint, ambitions and pressures,’ says Matt. ‘When you go out of your way to fully comprehend the problems your customer is facing, you can sell them a solution to that problem or a way to meet their goals, not just a product or service.’
Before joining Stancold, Matt held a global sales management role at GE and later served as National Sales Manager for Liebherr’s refrigeration division.
Stancold’s specialist markets were new territory for Matt, but the adjustment period was brief as he has a proven track record of quickly learning and applying sector‑specific practices.
‘The major point of learning and adjustment for me was understanding the sales cycle and timeline,’ remembers Matt. ‘In FMCG roles, transactions happen in minutes. This industry requires a slower, more calculated and technical approach to selling a solution. And rightfully so, as these are major capital expenditure projects for our customers.’
Matt’s priority at Stancold has been gaining a clear understanding of the operational challenges for customers and aligning them with the capabilities of our composite partitioning solutions.
It was Matt’s client‑focused approach that inspired him to start a business with a GE colleague, bridging the time between his sales leadership positions at GE and Liebherr.
‘When my kids were small, I’d take them to soft play centres from time to time,’ Matt explains. ‘The experience was lacking from a parent’s perspective. Whilst the kids would have fun it was uncomfortable for waiting parents. Watching other parents react similarly showed it was a common issue.’
Understanding the difficulty parents faced in finding quality weekend activities for their children, Matt saw an opportunity. As he moved into the next phase of his career, he and a former colleague opened Imagination Street, a soft play centre in Bromsgrove.
With a clear grasp of parents’ need for both engaging play and a comfortable place to relax, Matt approached the venture fully aware of the problem he intended to address.
‘Before we even opened the facility, we had over 100 bookings for birthday parties,’ Matt recalls. ‘We knew we were on to something.’
The business took off quickly, and three years in, Matt and his business partner opened a second location in Redditch.
After nine years, Matt was ready to transition back to a sales role, so he sold his share of Imagination Street to his business partner and joined the team at Liebherr.
As Matt has embedded himself within the Stancold team, he has championed a more creative mindset across the business while strengthening our relationships throughout the industry.
‘The hardest sale is the first one,’ says Matt. ‘The ideal place for Stancold to be is our client’s first call for partitioning issues at their facilities. The SMT is shaping a delivery model that encourages customers to return.’
Matt continues to encourage his team and the wider business to investigate additional problems and challenges facing UK facilities that Stancold’s composite panel packages could solve. A perfect example is the project Stancold is undertaking in Melksham, utilising the Sonocore acoustic panel system to provide a noise control solution.
Outside of work, Matt is a very active parent, with three kids. His parenting style echoes his professional approach, continually creating memorable experiences with his children.
He has also always, in one way or another, been heavily involved in football, currently serving as Commercial Manager for Meadow Park FC in his hometown of Bromsgrove. In addition to football, he’s an avid golfer. Everyone in the Stancold office has been told the story of his recent hole-in-one!
With Matt now leading the sales function, his strategic vision will undoubtedly elevate Stancold’s growth trajectory and open doors into new sectors.
