Leading up to our first UK webinar on 26 April, we interviewed Louis Gane, our keynote speaker and LD salesperson par excellence. He talks to us from sunny Spain about the future of legionella control and what he has learned working with our partners.   

When did LD start in the UK?

We’ve been in the UK a little over a year now, but we’ve really only been live and working with clients for just over 6 months. This coincided with when I came onboard. The team had realised that, on the back of the great work they had done in NL, there was a little more to be done to appreciate the nuances in the UK rules and regulations. So, when I joined in the autumn, the team had done great work and we were in a really good position to benefit.

How did you help adapt the apps to the UK market?

My experience is with helping international companies set up in the UK. I don’t have a legionella background, but when I saw how much homework LD had done on getting things right, I was really interested in coming to work with them. One of the things that struck me was that LD understood the competitive landscape, there was a good understanding of what exists in this space, and where the opportunities are. And they could articulate that there was need and demand for the product. This was backed up when I had a chat with Nick Barsby, chairman of the Legionella Control Association (LCA) to really understand the appetite for our software. 

What is its current status in the UK market?

We’re still very much the new boys and girls. But there’s a growing brand awareness. When I speak with people now for the first time, many have already heard about us and are keen to engage and understand what we’ve got. 

We’re actively working with a few companies we’re very happy to have partnered with. In the end, it’s all about our partners, they help us as much as we help them. 

What are your thoughts on the apps?

I like the usability and simplicity, because it’s accessible to people of so many different backgrounds. For example, my background is not in legionella, but I could quickly get engaged with it. This is great for end-users as well. The more people can use it, the safer buildings will become. 

At the same time, there is so much technical and industry expertise packed into the programme, if you are an expert, you have anything you need. It’s universally appropriate. 

How do we work with our partners?

Our partners acknowledge that the future is digital and there needs to be automation. Some of the people we work with are making their first few steps in digitisation, which can be a bit daunting, but once they start working with us they realise it can be simpler as well. 

How have you enjoyed working with partners?

We call them partners, because we very much see it as a partnership: they are legionella experts, we are software experts – we propose a joint solution for the industry. By working together this solution raises standards in the industry and improves legionella compliance in the UK. I want to be able to communicate with them on the same level, as we’re equals and partners. 

What are you most looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to the UK team expanding and our footprint growing, working with more partners in the UK. The tech is constantly being honed and improved too, so it is nice being part of an exciting, growing software company.

How do you expect the UK team to grow?

We’re really pleased to have Dave Teunisse now supporting UK partners. Dave has already been with the company for four years as a partner manager and he has a wealth of expertise on the platform. On top of that, we expect to have another two new employees to help engage new partners in the UK during this year, potentially one more as well who helps our partners help their clients. This is something that is really important to us: we want to help our partners’ clients understand our software and how it can benefit them as best we can. 

Which UK events will we visit this year?

We’ll be at all four Roadshow events in May: Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, London. We also plan to be present at the Water Management Society event. Apart from that, I always believe in face-to-face meetings, so I’m always keen to come and visit people. I’ve been all over the UK already, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London and everywhere in between. 

What message would you like to give to the UK public?

We have already got this track record in the Netherlands, some great success over there. Now we’re here in the UK, we’re here to stay. We fully understand that it’s its own unique market, the UK is another part of our business that we want to grow in its own right. We’re still part of the Dutch business, but want to respect the UK market as its own entity.

Hear more from Louis by joining our webinar on 26 April.