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A Day in the life: Mark Flanagan, Managing Director

Welcome to Ventrolla’s brand new ‘A Day in the Life’ series, where we speak to different members of the team, reflecting on their career so far, where they see Ventrolla going over the next 12 months and some insight into what they enjoy outside of work.
What does a typical day look like for you right now?
It depends on the day really! I’ve been spending quite a lot of time in London over the last few months, particularly because we’ve got so much work down there and there’s a lot of scope for opportunity in London and the surrounding areas. We also have the Building Centre and retrofit works we are doing there which I like to keep a close eye on. But if I’m in the office it’s usually an early start, setting off at around 7am to drop my little boy off at school and then get to the office. I’ll typically be speaking to two or three of the management team across the different departments in our regional offices. This could mean traveling to the likes of Scotland, Bristol, London, or just checking in with the different regions across the UK on teams calls, sales and operations especially, as they’re out and on the road early doors. From there on it’ll be quite a mixed bag, going to meetings, previewing project work, dealing with customers and liaising with the teams throughout the day. Then it’s usually a 5:30 finish (or I aim for that time anyway), spend a bit of time with the kids and then relax a bit or catch up on admin or emails in the evening.
What have you learnt since being at Ventrolla?
I’ve learnt a huge amount about the industry as a whole since being at Ventrolla. There is a lot of red tape surrounding heritage properties at the moment, which also differs for each area depending on the councils. I’ve spent a great deal of time looking at the planning and conservation landscape, including permissions, paperwork, seasonal requirements and more to really get my head around it – and there’s definitely still a way to go! Aside from the window industry specifically, I’ve had the opportunity to expand my knowledge on the UK’s historic hotspots and locations, the different heritage properties, how the builds differ for each period of time etc. It’s really quite eye opening to see the properties and learn about the background – I’m very lucky to do this as my job! We’ve also expanded the team quite rapidly, enhancing the capabilities and ensuring we are always learning from each other and developing our skills!
What do you enjoy most about working at Ventrolla?
For me, it’s just that exciting challenge around the different projects and clients, and growing the business and our offering, whether that’s around products or services, or looking at new openings and locations. It’s really about pushing yourself personally, and the business as a whole. I also love to see the team at work in the joinery workshop, the dedication, effort and knowledge that goes into the work our craftsmen do is mind blowing. The level of detail and meticulousness is truly second to none. I also enjoy how the properties we work on differ so much. Each job is so different, one day we could be working on a cottage and then next we would be working on a palace. To be able to continue the techniques and traditions that are hundreds of years old is something very special.
How did you get started in the heritage window industry?
I first started in the industry working alongside my dad at Ventrolla. What the business stands for, what it has achieved to date and where it could go really pulled me in. You can see how each and every person working here is dedicated to their craft. When you first look at the industry it appears quite straight forward, however once you get started there is so much more to it than meets the eye. We get to work on properties that are the true epitome of British heritage and quality, and with people who have some fantastic stories to tell and are really invested in their homes and retaining the features within. To have the homeowners put so much faith in Ventrolla, trusting our teams with their home, is very humbling – it’s truly an honour.
Is there anything you find a challenge?
It’s more of an interest rather than a challenge, but the renovation work we do is always fantastic to be a part of. It’s quite challenging because we need to ensure we meet all the regulations in place for that specific area, and exceed the expectations of the client of course! Sometimes it’s all about showing the levels of skill and technical expertise that goes into the work, because many people just see the end product. We want to ensure that our quality is as high as it can be every single time, and that level of restoration will take longer than a standard replacement.
What excites you most about Ventrolla’s future?
Both for now and the future, I’m always excited to see the properties we will be working on. It isn’t your everyday kind of business, we work with amazing properties, from cottages to royal residences, and to understand the legacy and heritage behind that is great. The Ventrolla brand has a lot of prestige associated with it already, which is a testament to all the hard work previous people have done over the years, and it has given us a platform to go on and create something that can scale, grow and develop. I’m incredibly grateful to those who came before us at Ventrolla, and hope we can do as much justice moving into the future.
What kind of changes do you see happening within the industry, over the next 12 to 18 months?
A big focus in the industry at the moment is apprenticeships and getting the next generation of people into the trade. There’s a real skills shortage and it’s a difficult challenge to overcome. We’re looking at a few elements to help bring in new apprentices and give them the skills needed to become master craftsmen over time so keep an eye on this space! There’s also an overall challenge in the market with wage rises and the cost of doing the different aspects of restoration works on site, sometimes it is cheaper to put something new in and replace it at a fraction of the time compared to keeping something. It’s a fine art finding what is right for each customer on a case-by-case basis. Some people will prefer for us to spend five days on a window to restore it, others may want a faster solution. However, a lot of our customers understand the importance of maintaining the heritage property’s image, and the vast majority of our business and work involves repairing the windows.
There’s obviously also a big push on net zero and sustainability across the UK, which we are responding to with a range of new services and products due to be launched throughout 2025. This includes the Ventrolla Consult service, as well as a focus on bespoke works. I think there will be changes in planning regulations and laws as well – there’s always something changing! Each council has its own regulations, which means we need to be able to change and adapt to each area and conservation officer. Some are more relaxed and flexible in some elements, whereas others are much stricter. Each building could also be built completely differently, so we couldn’t do the same thing on a property in Bath as another in Bristol due to the build and the regulations. It makes each job very unique because we have to make sure we have the correct technical expertise and installers to do the job right. It would be good to see the councils coming together to create a more focused list of guidelines and restrictions for people to work to, or a general framework to follow.
What is your biggest career achievement, or standout moment, to date?
I came from a family business background, so I’ve been quite successful in winning new contracts from frameworks to large projects and ongoing work. Securing multiple high value contracts is definitely a big-ticket item in my career. Coming into Ventrolla, I was originally supporting with sales, but when I saw what the business could achieve and the dedication of the team, I took the step up to the Managing Director role. I have managed to transform a business from loss making to securing large projects that have positioned the business for growth, and brought forward opportunities for us to deliver even greater services and products offers to our customers. To have Ventrolla now be a profitable business set for growth and scale in 2025, is something to look back on and be proud of.
Aside from Ventrolla and the overall industry, what else interests you?
Outside of my work at Ventrolla, I spend a lot of time with my family. It’s nice to just be able to spend that time together, even if it’s something as simple as sitting down together for tea or watching a film with the kids. We’re getting all the time with them we can whilst they’re still young and want to be with us! I also quite enjoy tech, so looking at things like AI and how it can help us going forward both personally and professionally. Staying on top of the latest updates and applications is definitely a bit of a passion of mine. I also enjoy sports, I play a bit of football when I can, and I’m an avid fan of watching the games too. Golf is also a favourite of mine. So between playing myself, watching the games and my kids also playing, football is probably my biggest pastime!