Two managers at Howarth Timber have graduated from a Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) Post Graduate Diploma at Birmingham City University.
Regional manager Jason Rothwell and divisional manager Gary Froggatt completed the Independent Merchant Leadership and Strategy course, both passing with commendations.
For their final Post Graduate Diploma project, the duo focused on digital marketing with a project that investigated Howarth Timber’s existing online trading platform, and recommended insights for future development.
Gary Froggatt commented: “To be given the valuable opportunity to undertake academic study by Howarth Timber whilst during my third decade of employment was a wonderful opportunity not to be missed. The Diploma team were always supportive, passionate about their programme and a pleasure to work with.
I would recommend this programme to anyone in branch management who wishes to progress their career into a multi-unit environment and beyond.”
Jason Rothwell added: “With over 30 years’ experience within the industry to be given the opportunity at this stage of my career to analyse and implement operational improvements through an academic perspective is hugely rewarding.”
BMF managing director, John Newcomb, said: “I am proud and delighted to congratulate the first group to achieve the BMF Post Graduate Diploma.
I believe they are all planning to continue their studies at Birmingham City University towards a merchant-specific Masters Degree that has been developed in conjunction with the BMF. This is a fantastic endorsement of the relevance of the BMF’s development programme for the industry.”
