From bats to international trade
Matthew Rose is TankSafe’s commercial director, and a cricketer. We asked him about willow and life…
As a cricketer what do you enjoy most about playing cricket?
If the sun is shining and the weather is warm, I can’t think of anything better than being outside with your mates all day playing. I enjoy the varied challenge offered by cricket – batting, bowling or fielding all tests you in different ways.
No two bowlers are ever the same; which means you have to always be focused. It is also a good ‘social’ sport with the opportunity to have a couple of beers post-match.
Who is your favourite pro cricketer and why?
I’m having two: Alastair Cook – because, 1 - growing up in Suffolk, Essex was my nearest county side so I watched some of his first appearances, and 2 - he wasn’t the most gifted player but through sheer hard work and just focusing on his strengths he was able to become England’s highest ever run scorer.
Second one is Shane Warne. He was just the master at what most people perceive to be the hardest skill in cricket - bowling leg spin. Sport needs characters and he was certainly a big one of those.
Where’s the best place you’ve watched cricket from and why?
I’ve been fortunate to travel the world watching England play. I’ve done Boxing Day at the MCG in Australia; Sri Lanka, UAE, Cape Town plus all of the test match venues in England.
However, the best was spending Boxing Day in 2019 watching England v South Africa at Centurion whilst sitting in a swimming pool pitchside (see photo). I unintentionally went viral that day as the tweet I sent out with that photo was picked up by the BBC and generated over 12k likes on their Instagram!
Where’s next?
Netherlands for a one-day series in June.
What’s your biggest achievement to date – personal, professional, or both?
Winning the Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2014. Fantastic experience to visit Buckingham Palace and meet the Queen. Plus I got the added bonus of getting told off by Prince Philip!
What has been the most memorable international trade visit?
A 2 week trip that took in 3 continents, 4 countries, and countless flights about 5 years ago.
Started with a quick one-day trip to Germany; pitstop in the UK; out to UAE for some training with our distributors; onto India for a week travelling from the south-east of the country to north-west meeting prospective partners before 4 days in Kenya with our OEM customer based in Nairobi. Probably wouldn’t fancy a trip that intensive again!
What excites you about the future of TankSafe?
Although there is a lot of conjecture about alternative fuels in the media, this certainly isn’t impacting on our business. We are generating more business than ever, particularly via truck OEM dealer networks as fleet operators spec. us on their new trucks via their preferred dealership.
What is really exciting is that although historically we have always been an aftermarket supplier, more and more OEMs are now taking TankSafe® as a production-line option or standard fit on new trucks. This market change will have a hugely positive impact on the shape of our business over the next few years.