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Blog
From Spice Girls to Structural Glazing: An Interview with David Lonergan
You will struggle to find a more passionate advocate for structural glazing than David Lonergan, founder and director of Framework Recruitment, who has been part of the industry for almost two decades.
In 2006, David joined the Sharman brothers (William and Charlie) at Cantifix where he spent 10 years, ultimately running the first online portal for buying products like glass floors, glass roofs and Bifold doors and becoming a valuable member of our Innovations Team.
Every day, David was exposed to the many challenges facing a bespoke glazing company such as Cantifix. As he went from temp to lead administrator through the Innovations Team and finally to Head of Cantifix Online, he was able to gain an overall appreciation for so many parts of the business and their unique obstacles – one of the biggest of which was the difficulty in hiring suitable employees.
We sat down with David at the end of June 2024 to chat about his experiences in the industry, the issues currently affecting many of his clients, and his unwavering belief that these challenges can and will be overcome as we move through an exciting future.
Let’s start at the beginning – Tell us a bit about your time at Cantifix, what was it that attracted you to the company?
“I actually started my professional life in concert production lighting, notably assisting the Spice Girls on their 1998 world tour – ‘SpiceWorld’ – as well as Britpop hall of famers Oasis. Then there was my job for Blockbuster, working as an operations officer, so I like to think that I’ve always worked for industry leaders, and Cantifix is absolutely no exception.”
“There, I started as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed temp. On my first day, I pointed to a beautiful house – because the aesthetic just captured me – and asked the question ‘Who lives there?’ ‘Thierry Henry’ was the response. As an avid Arsenal fan, as well as someone who knows a good design when they see one, the next 10 years of my life were written: I’m in. How do I stay?”
“I love the absolute imagination of architects combined with the engineering excellence of Cantifix. The phrase realising dreams is an overused one, but that is exactly what Cantifix does. They’ve been riding the crest of the structural glazing wave for a long time, having essentially started it all in the 90s, so when I speak to clients, it’s the equivalent of having worked with Nike in the sportswear world – absolute titans.”
Can you describe a particularly challenging project you’ve worked on and how you overcame any obstacles?
“Hmm…the project at Cantifix that was perhaps the most challenging was an internal one – designing, building and operating the first online sales portal for clients to purchase off-the-shelf glass products such as bifold doors, glass roofs and glass floors, rather than needing the full bespoke service. While the setup was tricky, the hardest part was getting the message out there that these things were possible. They weren’t the tailor-made, service-led solutions (for which Cantifix is known), but individual products that a decent builder can install, and it was a challenge convincing people of this at first.”
“To overcome that challenge, I relied on the amazing support and team we had in every department, but Charlie Sharman was always the main supporter in inspiration. To this day he is my professional role model”
What made you decide to set up Framework Recruitment?
“Having been on one side of it all with Cantifix, I saw the main challenge that a bespoke glazing company can encounter – recruitment (and sometimes the lack of it). Most recruiters who say they specialise in construction actually have no idea about the industry, let alone the intricacies of structural glazing. That understanding is absolutely fundamental if you are to address any of the challenges within the bespoke glazing world; you’ve got to comprehend the relationships and uniqueness of every single company. To be clear, I don’t think that’s the case with all construction recruiters, but it’s certainly been my experience with many of them.”
“Seeing how long it took to fill roles at Cantifix, I was able to take my know-how to a friend’s construction recruitment company. I asked him whether I could take a desk and he agreed. I wanted to convince him – and myself that there was a fundamental problem with the way that recruitment is being done in the luxury glazing space, and demonstrate that I had the answer. Within just a few weeks, I had already paid my salary and then some. Why? Because Cantifix focused so much on talented individuals and truly invested in people. Having been an influential person there during my time I knew what talent looked like in this field, I had a tactile understanding of it. The seed of an idea was planted; what germinated and blossomed was FrameWork Recruitment.”
What is the most exciting aspect of your job?
“I have never been in doubt about the bespoke, holistic, experience-led service that Cantifix provides. It is a concept that I understand fundamentally. I believe the most exciting aspect of running Framework Recruitment is the fact that I can provide such a desperately needed service not just for Cantifix, but for the whole of the industry. When I started Framework, I needed a tagline, so I chose ‘Single source platform for opportunity, talent and industry consulting services’. At the time, it was just a tagline, but I genuinely believe that we are embodying it wholeheartedly.”
“We work with all companies across the sector. While that certainly includes competitors, it is also an approach that recognises that every single company is unique, and our job is to find candidates who are going to be the perfect fit for you.”
“There is a distinctive impression of recruitment – that we’re all money-grabbing so-and-sos. Our goal is to convince people that we genuinely match talent to jobs; not to simply make money, but to improve this wonderful industry that – if I’m being honest – I owe everything to.”
With sustainability priorities and stricter rules around net zero housing, how do you think glazing can rise to meet the challenge?
“Yes. I absolutely believe it can because glazing has risen to every other challenge that it has ever had. While I can’t talk about the engineering and process specifics of reducing emissions – I’ll leave that to the talented team at Cantifix – I can say that it is a forward-thinking industry, so I believe it is geared up to meet the sustainability challenge.”
How much has this emphasis on sustainability changed the recruitment process?
“To tell you the truth, the way that sustainability has changed the recruitment process is very minimal – organisations will always need top-tier talent, and candidates will always want to be part of an innovative company that is at the forefront of what they do and genuinely cares about both their employees and the industry as a whole. What it will have an impact on – and I’m seeing it already – are the conversations with younger candidates, for whom the effects of climate change will be most apparent.
Because we think a little differently from the typical recruitment company, we have recruited internationally – think designers from Brazil and Goa – and so these conversations take on new perspectives and nuances. Our process, therefore, can put these new perspectives into companies that have green objectives and help them to achieve them.”
How do you keep up to date with the latest developments and trends in glazing design and technology?
“I have installed a live webcam in the office of William Sharman.”
“In all seriousness, when I am speaking to project managers, for example, we’re not chatting exclusively about things like risk assessments and whether they love a good time frame. Instead, I want to know what excites them, what gets them enthusiastic, and what they truly care about. It’s through these conversations that I might learn more about the developments in biophilic architecture or the recent project at Harella House – where Cantifix went to great pains (and cost) to make it work.”
What current or future projects are you excited about?
“While there are quite a few projects in the Middle East that sound very exciting, the one I’ve been most excited to see up close is the relatively recent Battersea Power Station renewal. If we’re talking about the future, I genuinely believe in 200 years’ time people will still be impressed by it. The project was completed in partnership with Cantifix, and I think it illustrates the individuality of London’s skyline – which I think is its biggest strength.”
What do you see as the future of architectural and structural glazing?
“It would be impossible to ignore the impact that AI is having – and will continue to have – on the architectural landscape. It is, after all, affecting every single industry, and I don’t think it will be going anywhere soon. I don’t think anyone will want an AI-created house necessarily, but the jobs of those designing the house will be made infinitely easier than without the assistance of artificial intelligence. The thing that impresses me most about AI is that it understands context – something that spreadsheets, for example, simply don’t. On the opposite end of the scale from artificial intelligence, I believe that the future will be far greener because it will incorporate far more biophilic elements like green roofs and indoor specimen trees – after all, plenty of studies prove there are many health and well-being benefits associated with plants and natural light.”
What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in this field?
“It’s simple – contact David Lonergan at Framework Recruitment…”
“Just kidding – but my advice is still simple: get involved!”
“I say get involved because the industry is always innovating and always moving – so I’d love it if you came along for the ride. On the other hand, it will still be here in 200 years from now. In our modern and turbulent times, how many other industries can say that for sure?”
Our chat with David Lonergan is part of our interview series, in which we speak to a number of people in and around Cantifix to understand their perspectives on a number of key topics and trends.