Dawn of a new era for Lavender International
04/04/2018
The end of March marked the end of an incredible era for Lavender International NDT, but also the dawn of new beginnings, as Dave Lavender retired from the business after over 40 years in the non-destructive testing (NDT) industry. His departure is a historic milestone for the company, with no members of the Lavender family now remaining in the business for the first time since it was established.
Dave had been working hard succession planning for a number of years, and found the ideal solution when Lavender International became an employee-owned business in 2015. Employee-owned status means all of the employees at Lavender International are co-owners with a stake in the business and equally motivated to safeguard its future.Dave said: “We recognised that employee ownership was the only way that the people we built this great company with would be looked after properly when we, as a family, finally stepped down. We desperately did not want the business to be sold to an unknown party, so I’m incredibly happy that I’m leaving the business in the most capable hands: those of its employees.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the team will remain faithful to the core values that Lavender was founded on: quality, flexibility and trust.”
Dave’s NDT career began in 1976 with the foundation of J D Partnership, which Jack, Dave and Joyce Lavender set up to provide NDT services, with a focus on testing and training. The business was run from their home in Crosspool, Sheffield, with equipment borrowed from SCRATA, where Jack was the Level 3.
Fast-forward to 2018 and Lavender International is now renowned and well respected globally, providing NDT training, examinations and consultancy services from offices all over the world.
Dave credits the success of the business to hard work, a ‘can do’ attitude and sharing his commitment to this attitude and work ethos with every member of the team – a result of handpicking each individual Lavender employee and providing them with the opportunities and encouragement to flourish in a positive working environment.
Dave lists one of his proudest achievements as introducing a new generation and younger audience to NDT. Lavender International recently announced its partnership with a leading training and employability provider, Skills Training UK, to expand the provision of its NDT apprenticeships, raise awareness of NDT and introduce more people to the world of engineering.
After a successful career in NDT, Dave looks back on some of the most important lessons he has learned: “Never be a ‘what-if-er’. It’s important to give everything a shot to see if it works or not. If it doesn’t work, fair enough, but always give things a try before moving on. It’s also important to lead from the top. I’d never expect anyone who works at Lavender to do something I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing myself.”www.lavender-ndt.com
