In conversation with Brian English

In conversation with…

Brian English

Business Development Executive for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

Tell us about your path into the controls industry.

I started out as an electronics engineer and worked for 15 years in the power supply industry. Because pretty much every electronic device needs a power supply to convert mains power to DC voltages, as a power supply sales engineer you get exposure to a huge range of applications, from telecom racks to mobile phones. The path to success in the corporate world generally results in people being moved from frontline operations, vertically throughout an organization until they find themselves in senior positions, far removed from the work that first drew them to that profession. 

I ended up as a VP Sales and Marketing at Emerson in the UK and subsequently as Managing Director of XP Power, where I spent most of my time on acquisitions and personnel management and little or none on the subjects closest to my heart. When the opportunity was presented to join Reliable Controls and develop a region virtually from the ground up, I jumped at it. It combines the experience I gained in international market development with technical skills and opportunities for new learning.

What does it take to be successful in your role?

In an organization that has a single route to market—our Authorized Dealers—it’s impossible to be a competent sales manager unless you’re also competent in the products and technology that form the solutions we sell. This is especially true the further removed you are from the company’s base and technical support teams. Learning to network, program, and deploy controllers was challenging and rewarding in equal measure, and it remains an activity that fascinates and motivates me.

How is the building automation industry evolving?

With the growth of domestic solutions in Europe, the building automation industry is changing before our eyes. Where BACnet facilitated the migration to an open protocol over the past decades, the next step is to fully integrate all the systems in buildings and to make it seamless for nonprofessional users to interact with these interfaces. Occupants don’t want different devices or even different applications to monitor energy use, adjust heating setpoints, and turn off the security alarm.

What sets Reliable Controls apart from other brands in your region?

Reliable Controls is a company apart, because in the cynical, corporate world of today, it’s a company whose leaders and employees live the mission and are committed to the values we share. We are people who build controllers that last 30 years in buildings, people who make new devices backward compatible, people who support customers with old versions of our software, people who monitor and reduce emissions, and people who spend money to do the right things instead of the easy things. That’s what differentiates us from many of our peers in this region.

What does sustainability mean to you?

For me, sustainability is about minimizing or eliminating the use of any resource on the planet that can’t be reproduced. So, whether that’s preventing the fishing-out of individual species, stopping the use of oil to make single-use plastics, or preserving ancient woodlands, if we can’t recreate it, we need to mind it and care for it.

What else are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about family—about the preservation of the family unit in which children are nourished and nurtured, where they learn values and behaviors, where they’re helped to be open-minded, unbiased, and tolerant young adults and thus become equipped to take over this planet when the incumbents’ time has passed.

Interested in how Brian and Reliable Controls can help you better manage your buildings? Reach out today.