Meet our team
Huw started his working life building engines at Ford, before moving into retail with Debenhams and B & Q. He has been the Managing Director of Solar for 20 years and the company has grown a great deal under his leadership. A stickler for detail Huw is always looking for new opportunities to take Solar forward and exploring new market opportunities. In his spare time Huw follows Swansea City Football Club and is also a car fanatic.
Brett joined Solar after graduating University. He is Solar’s motorisation and home automation expert and is always looking for ways to introduce technology into our new and existing products and develop our systems and processes. Brett is also responsible for the building and maintaining of Solar’s website and marketing material. When he’s not at work, Brett can be found watching Cardiff City FC, following the the Bluebirds home and away.
Matthew has worked for Solar for 15 years and started out as the Production Manager before moving into his sales role looking after retail and contract sales. Matt is an expert in shutters and his outstanding product knowledge and friendly personality ensures that our customers always get the best advice before making a decision. Outside of work Matthew is the coach of a local football team and supports Manchester United.
Jonathan looks after all finance related tasks both internally and externally. From taking customer payments to managing the company payroll, Jonathan makes sure everything runs smoothly and all of our bills are paid on time! In his free time Jonathan has a keen interest in property and current affairs and he also supports Cardiff City FC.
Natalie has worked at Solar for 10 years and when you call Solar on the phone, Natalie and her team will take your call. Natalie is responsible for updating our bespoke software that books installers diaries, produces production worksheets and creates customer invoices. She also produces our sales priceless when new product are launched. In her spare time Natalie enjoys spending time with her son, travelling and music.
Candice has worked at Solar for the best part of 15 years and during this period, there is no question that Candice hasn’t answered. As well as customer service enquiries, Candice is also tasked with training new and existing employees, where her industry knowledge and experience is invaluable in ensuring the highest level of care for our customers. Candice is also a big music and film fan with Michael Jackson and the Twilight Trilogy among her favourites!
Another valued member of our sales administration team, Karen has many years of industry experience. As well as carrying out more routine duties, Karen is our expert in both commercial and domestic canopies. Whatever style, shape and sizes, there is nothing Karen has not encountered during her career. From concept to quotation, Karen looks after our customers to ensure they receive the best product possible to suit their requirements. Karen is not working she enjoys attending music concerts, socialising with friends and is quite an expert when it comes to baking!
Andrew is often responsible for the day to day running of our Cardiff showroom. He has a great ability to absorb information and his knowledge of our products and services is second to none, something that our customers find invaluable when choosing the right product for them. As well as his advisory roles, Andrew is our Luxaflex expert and has helped many customers find their perfect shades. In his spare time Andrew is a car enthusiast and enjoys programs such as Top Gear and The Grand Tour. He is also a football fan, where he follows Cardiff City.
Karen is our curtain and soft cloth expert with a great eye for interior design and detail. Karen is very fashion conscious and as such provides great advice to our customers on current and upcoming trends in interior design. Karen’s ability to visualise products enables customers to accessorise their products to really make a statement with their designs. In her spare time Karen enjoys travelling and is a big fan of Elvis Presley.
Damien joined Solar 15 years ago and has witnessed the development of Solar first hand amassing a wealth of experience in this period. An expert in Vertical blinds, Damien has become the go-to man to overcome problems or provide advice. In his new role, Damien is responsible for ordering stock and managing the team. In his free time, Damien is an expert gamer and also enjoys fishing.
Carol has worked in soft furnishings all of her working life and there is nothing that she hasn’t experienced in her career. Carol joined Solar 15 years ago, and has made Roller blinds for Solar ever since. In more recent times, she has also become instrumental in Visage and Mirage blinds. Operating our ultra sonic fabric table with crush cut blade, Carol’s expertise are invaluable in coping with the volume of production that our Roller department experiences throughout the year. When Carol is not working, she enjoys walking the dog and socialising with friends.
Belinda has worked for Solar for 12 years and is an expert in Pleated blinds. Using CAD software to calculate angles and plan out shapes for conservatory blinds, Belinda’s skills have helped shade thousands of shaped windows and conservatories across the UK. In her free time Belinda enjoys socialising with her friends, attending gigs and going to the cinema.
A versatile and multi-skilled member of the Production team, Robert is responsible for booking in all components, fabric and finished goods. During busy times Robert can slot into the roller and pleated departments seamlessly and can also operate all of our machinery used to cut raw materials. Robert is a keen cricketer in his spare time and plays for a local cricket team as a top order batsmen. He is also a loyal supporter of Derby County FC.
Suzette is the leading seamstress at Solar, operating our auto sewing machine to apply bottom bars to roller blinds and stitching soft cloths to make vertical blinds. When Sue is not sewing she is building roller blinds and inspecting product to ensure quality control for our customers. In her downtime, Sue enjoys going on shopping sprees and sewing.
William is fast becoming an expert in our new Mirage and Visage blinds. From assembly to testing, William works alongside the Roller department to ensure that only the highest quality blinds are produced ready for installation. As a talented footballer, William is the captain of a local football and also supports Cardiff City FC.
Delme has a variety of skills at his disposal and is a qualified electrician by trade. Del can often be found carrying out maintenance works around our factory and checking that our power and air compression facilities are in good working order. Del is responsible for the packing and despatching of our products to our trade customers, as well as preparing product for installations. A keen rugby supporter, Delme follows Bridgend RFC and the Ospreys and a little known fact Delme is also a qualified driving instructor – a man of many talents!
As well as being the comedian of our team, Roger is our longest serving installer and has 10 years of experience fitting thousands of blinds across Wales. Roger is our awnings expert and is the man in the know when it comes to external products. From survey to installation he has all angles covered from the type of fixing used on installation to the specification of product to ensure that our customers get the right product for the right application to suit their budget. Outside of work, Roger is a football fan and a lifelong supporter of his local team, Arsenal FC.
Dai is another vastly experienced member of our team with 8 years of service with Solar. Starting out in the factory, Dai knows how our products are made, which helps him prove the best advice to customers when surveying, and assisting in installations. Although Dai can install any of Solar’s products, he is an expert in conservatory roof blinds where precision is essential to ensure a perfect fit whilst avoiding the dangers that come with working near glass. When Dai is not installing blinds, he follows Liverpool FC and can often be found watching his local rugby team, the Bridgend Ravens.
Jessica manages credit limits for our trade and contract customers as well as checking our purchase prices for stock items and bought in goods. Jess will often take customer payments and acts as a willing and able assistant to Jonathan in all things finance. Outside of work Jess enjoys spending time with her three children and going to the cinema.
Nick is the most technically minded of our installation team and has worked in the blinds industry for more than 20 years. During Nick’s career he has done any job imaginable within the blinds industry, including being a factory manager, so there is no problem he cannot overcome. Given his experience, Nick is an expert in installing all of our products, but he is especially interested in technology and motorised products. In his spare time, Nick enjoys cars, Formula One racing and DIY. Another of his interests includes travel, Nick often takes images and videos whilst flying his drone both abroad and in the UK!
Tom joined Solar after moving to Wales from his former home in London where he built up a wealth of experience installing plantation shutters and blinds. When joining the team at Solar, Tom was able to bring his experiences in the English capital to our team and improve our systems and process with his input and new ideas. When Tom isn’t working, he enjoys photography and supports West Bromwich Albion FC.
Dewi is a fully qualified carpenter making him the ideal man for shutter installations. An expert on Luxaflex and Powerview, Dewi is the master of all things motorised and has become a dab hand at programming. In his spare time Dewi plays football for his local club FC Porthcawl and is also a car enthusiast.
Mel is an expert in Vertical blinds and has made thousands of headrails over the years. Equally comfortable using machinery, Mel can often be found cutting out Vanes on our Techno Ultrasonic welding machine used to turn our fabrics into vanes. In her spare time Mel enjoys providing a taxi service for her children, socialising with friends and listening to music.
Charlotte is often seen at the front of house at Solar. Whether answering the phones or serving customers in our showroom, she is always on hand to cater to the needs of our customers. Proficient in IT, Charlotte will also type quotations and enter details taken from sales appointments onto our system. When at home, Charlotte spends time with her young children and enjoys socialising with friends when she can.