Neil Flanagan Celebrates 50 Years of Service

I’m glad to have a chance to speak to Neil Flanagan, General Manager – Major Projects Group – who celebrates his 50th work anniversary on my Day 6 with Johnson Controls. I’m Stella Chiu, a new member to the internal communications team for UK & Ireland

“We change all the time. Embrace change. Take it as continuous development and learn along the way” – Neil Flanagan, General Manager, Major Projects Group.

S: Hi Neil, congrats on your 50 years of service anniversary. Do you remember the first date you joined us and the position?
N:I joined Mather + Platt Ltd, later acquired by one of JCI’s business entities, on 13th September 1971. My first role was Apprentice Draughtsman (Designer). Four years later, I was allocated to the Contracting Drawing Office and was involved with major pumping plants in the UK and throughout the world.
One of the disciplines the Contracting Office specialised in was Industrial Services (specially steam pipework) which gave me an opportunity for a secondment for 6 months to the Kenya office of Mather + Platt in 1978 and subsequently a 6-month secondment in Tanzania in 1979. The export business took me to Syria, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Liberia, Egypt, South Africa, Hong Kong, India, Sweden (and other Nordic and European countries) and the list continues to grow to this day. So far, I've visited around 55 countries (including holidays).


S: What were the most memorable and least memorable moments of these travels?
N: Some of the most memorable are seeing Mount Kilimanjaro, the Victoria Peak, the source of the Nile and gorillas in Uganda, flying the company airplane and many safaris in different African countries.

Some of the less memorable include a £2.50 per night hotel in Nagpur, India and a bomb going off quite close to us in Homs, Syria, where we also witnessed a shooting incident. I was also in Oslo when a bomb went off, so had several close calls.

S: You’re well-travelled, Neil. Can you tell us a bit more about your career journey over the past 50 years? Which parts are the highlights?
N: After the Designer role, I took up a Project Engineering role and subsequently as a Team Lead of designers and project managers. In 1995, I was appointed General Manager for our Sprinkler and later the Power and Export Business. I have always been involved with export work throughout the many changes to the business, that is from Mather + Platt to Wormald to Tyco to Johnson Controls. Later, I took my current role within the Major Projects Group (now part of the Technology Contracting Group) around 14 years ago.
Over the years the business has provided me with many opportunities to develop professionally and personally in different fields, travel the world and meet many interesting people with diverse cultural backgrounds. I have made many friends along the way.

S: Neil, you like change, don’t you? What makes you want to step out from your comfort zone? What advice you can give us?
N: I have been lucky and have been tasked with many different job roles within various Johnson Controls business entities over the years. I feel bored if there is no change to my role. I like change, it brings excitement.
We change all the time. Embrace change. Take it as continuous development and learn along the way.

S: Neil, you have had many opportunities and roles, including voluntary jobs. Did they come to you or you sought them? How can we get more opportunities to develop ourselves?
N: The opportunities came both ways. Some were assigned to me and I went to seek some of them.
My recommendation is “Keep adding more strings to your bow”. Find opportunities to move around in the company and complete your “knowledge circles”. Once you complete one, move onto the next. Show interest and make yourself available and visible. When you understand the business, doors will be opened to you.

S: What do you like most of your long tenure with the company?
N: Apart from the opportunities to lead different projects and travel to different places, I like bringing on apprentices. I, myself, was an apprentice when I started my career. I’m pleased to see the apprentices I’ve been involved with flourish and develop. Some of them have become managers or took up different challenging roles. There are always new challenges and new ideas being introduced in the Company, something which keeps my mind active and creative.

S:  Have you ever thought about retirement?
N: No, the idea of retirement has not crossed my mind but it is inevitable. I like challenges which keep my mind busy, and working keeps you young and involved.

S: Apart from work, what else keeps you busy these days?
N: I have been a voluntary grounds man at Stand Cricket Club for 20 years and still play as 3rd Team Captain. I also played for and subsequently ran football teams for many years on a voluntary basis prior to the Cricket Team.
Other than the voluntary activities, we are busy with our grandchild, Holly. Holly keeps us busy and it’s a joy to have her around and seeing her flourish.

S: What do you want to do next?
N: We hope to travel to South America soon to get more countries on the map. Neil’s family put pins on a world map to indicate the places he/they have visited.

S: Neil, can you share one of your wisdom quotes?
N: Always listen to your wife (laugh…). What I mean is to listen to everybody. Be a good listener. Communication is key. When you have communication, you can avoid conflicts, there are always two sides to every story. This works at all levels.

S: Thanks Neil