Interview: Steph Adding

It’s inspiring to talk with women who are not only the youngest person to have held their role, but who also tick the “first female” box. We expect it says something about the person as well as the business.

Stephanie Adding has enjoyed two and half years as Northern Regional Manager at The Brickery, stepping up from her previous role as Account Manager. Whilst this career progression makes sense, it’s a far cry from the role as police officer she had planned.

Read about what drove Stephanie’s career about-turn, who inspires her, and what she’s looking forward to when things return to normal again, in our latest Industry Women interview.

Please provide your name, job title and company name.

Stephanie Adding, Northern Regional Manager, The Brickery.

How long have you spent in your current position?

Two and a half years.

What job did you have before your current role?

Account Manager at The Brickery.

To date, what has been your career highlight?

Being the first female and youngest employed as Northern Regional Manager at The Brickery. The role is extremely broad, with managing the North Island sales team, North Island customer services team, and the North Island yard operations. On top of this, I manage relationships with all group home builder and merchant head offices that are based in the North Island. It is a challenging role and the highlight of my career to date.

Who have you admired or learnt from the most in your career and why?

I admire several of the group home builder and merchant head office relationships that I have. Whilst they are our customers, I have formed extremely close relationships with these people and would suggest two of these people are people I look up to and learn from. Also, I have learned a lot from our current General Manager, Kerry Heard. He has been forthcoming with training and development and I am very appreciative of this.

Are you doing what you thought you’d be doing when you were younger? If not, what type of job did you expect you would have?

Not at all! My dream job was to be a police officer. Given I have a heart condition, this dream could not come true, so I decided to pursue a career in sales and management.

What do you think is the most important quality or skill you need to succeed in your current role?

Understanding your people. Understanding how to be fair and firm, and to bring the best out of your people. This in turn helps create a strong company culture which is at the forefront of my mind every day.

What’s one thing you hope to achieve this year, either at work or in your personal life?

I had been set up to complete a Diploma in Business, supported by The Brickery. This is the starting point of some years ahead of study to further my career in management. This is on hold until we get through the challenging times of Covid-19, however I will resume with this when we come out the other side.

Do you have any tips or advice for those just starting out in the industry?

Just get in the industry. If you are in sales, and you want to ideally get into this industry, don’t just go to the “next best” sales role. Wait for one to come up in the construction industry and put your best foot forward. 99% of people I speak to in this game won’t ever leave the industry. Whether you are on the supply, specifier or builder side, it is one awesome industry to be a part of.