Please introduce yourself! What is your role within Domino?
My name is Luigi Pistilli, but you can call me Gino. I’ve been at Domino for 29 years and I'm currently the UK General Manager. That means I'm primarily responsible for the UK business’ people, sales and service strategies and everything else that comes with being a General Manager. 29 years ago, I started here as a test technician. After a long and varied career, working across many different areas of the company, I moved to my current position in January 2019.
Could you explain more about how your career has progressed at Domino?
When I arrived at Domino, I was still studying. During my first two years in the test department, I finished my qualifications and undertook my technical HNC. Then after two years of working in operations, I moved into the service workshop, stripping down and dismantling printers and subsequently rebuilding them. So I had a good “hands-on” understanding of our products at that point. I was in my early twenties when an opportunity arrived to become a field-based service engineer, along with the allure of a company car and associated benefits, which was exciting. I picked up the keys to my car and off I went: driving around the country servicing printers, which was really enjoyable.
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Having accumulated a tremendous amount of knowledge about our printers and how they function, the next challenge was understanding how our customers utilised printers, what their business challenges were and how they could benefit from our products. As I was locally based to headquarters, I used to come into the office and support the technical helpdesk when they required extra resource. Having built that customer insight in the field, it was a natural progression into an office-based technical helpdesk role.
After about fifteen years of being in service, during which I grew to become a manager of regional service, I was hungry for a different challenge altogether. Following a conversation with HR and our General Manager at the time, a role was arising in sales and I thought it would be a good challenge in a completely different business area. My job was to drive new business and I hit my targets for five consecutive years before becoming a business development manager for our print and apply labelling range. I doubled the sales of that product line during that period.
I was then asked to move into management, heading up the products and projects team. I performed that role for a couple of years before I was made Sales Operations Manager. Subsequently, a Head of Sales opportunity surfaced, which I embraced. Finally, with our previous General Manager Mike Hurst pursuing a new position outside of the business, I applied for the position of UK General Manager. In January, I was told I was successful in the application for the role. It’s been quite a journey!
What do you most enjoy about working at Domino?
The people! Domino is a people-focused company. If you have a need for achievement, it's a great place to work. We are committed to learning. Development and training of our people form a significant part of our core business activities. There are always opportunities within the business if you're that way inclined, and you're not limited to your specialist areas. For instance, I jumped from a technical background in sales. And I never thought I’d be a sales person. If you possess the mentality to attempt different things within the business, Domino is very supportive of that. I believe that’s why the average length of service in the UK is around 11 years. On top of that, I am passionate about working in a progressive business. Domino has been successful year-on-year for over forty years. It’s a positive organisation and community to be a part of with really good people.
Could you pinpoint a standout moment in your Domino journey that’s led to where you are today?
I'll tell you what moment this was. It goes back to my transition from service to sales. It enabled me to grow core skills and learn about working with people. That really helped to get me where I am today. If I remained on a technical trajectory, I probably wouldn't have achieved as much as I have done to date. Moving into sales suited my capabilities, my personality and the way I like to operate. It enabled me to achieve the goals I had set for myself in terms of career progression.
Why do you think customers choose Domino?
I think it goes back to the people again. We've got award-winning products and services, used across the globe. However, it's our field-based colleagues that speak to our customers on a daily basis that make the difference at Domino. It's also the internal teams that are resolving customer issues and being proactive in terms of helping people and problem-solving. Our central business focus is on customer service. Lots of businesses have good products or services, but it’s our people that make Domino special.
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The behind our printers blog series aims to give readers insight into the life and people at Domino. Make sure you keep an eye out for future editions of the blog series coming soon!
If you would like to know more about working within Domino, visit our careers area.
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