Quickfire Q&A with…Michelle Clarke, Area Sales Manager (Large Warewash) – Hobart UK Equipment Division
Michelle Clarke is the Technical Sales Area Manager at Hobart, a place she has called home for nearly six years. When not focusing on largescale warewashing projects or her busy home life, Michelle finds peace tending to the plants in her greenhouse.
We sat down with this self-confessed fair-weather gardener to learn more about greenhouse life, her love of the Hobart camaraderie and, of course, her favourite equipment innovations.
In one sentence, how would you summarise your role at Hobart?
I’m the technical sales area manager – responsible for the design and specification of all the large warewash projects.
How long have you been in your role?
I’ve been in this current role for 17 months, and in July, I’ll have been with Hobart for six years.
Why do you love being a part of the Hobart team?
It’s the real sense of camaraderie within the team – we’re all in it together. It’s a true recognition of everybody’s strengths and realising who’s great at what and putting it all together to form a great team. It’s a nice feeling to be a part of that.
What’s your favourite Hobart product and why?
My favourite product as a whole has to be our reusables offering. We’ve got so many new innovations and solutions that are coming through, and it’s a great time to be a part of this emerging innovation. It’s new but it’s growing so fast and we’re keeping up with it. Every time I speak with Germany, there’s something new that we didn’t know about and can now offer. That’s got to be my favourite at the minute.
Tell us something about you that not many people know?
I’m a keen gardener and have invested in quite a lovely greenhouse. Albeit, I am a fair-weather gardener, so I won’t be out if it’s freezing, but I’m outside if it’s a nice, sunny day. I love growing everything myself and nurturing what we’ve got. I’m quite lucky that we have quite a big garden so I’m developing and designing different areas to create lots of unique spaces. I’ve got a vegetable patch and growing the likes of tomato, peas, and beans, but also lots of bedding plants like marigolds and different flowers. That’s my peace.
What’s the best meal of your life, and why?
It’s not so much about what’s on your plate, but about the people that surround you. All the best meals that I’ve ever had are because of the friends and family sharing the experience with me. I don’t even remember what we were eating but when you’re surrounded by lots of laughter and fun, those, for me, are the best meals.