Meet the team

Gareth Rouse

Head of Design & Technical Services

Role and responsibilities:
Gareth has overall responsibility for the Technical Services Team providing technical support for Forterra`s range of bricks, block and special shaped brick products. He also leads the team in the development of new products, including research, design, testing, certification and product launch.

Qualifications and industry experience:
Gareth joined Forterra straight from university, starting out in the technical department supporting clay and special shaped bricks and aerated and concrete block products. After honing his skills on standard products, Gareth started working on the development of new products, including cladding and prefabricated walling systems and was part of the SureBrick development team. Gareth also spent time working in Forterra’s precast concrete division as part of the team developing the Jetfloor flooring system designed to meet changing customer and regulatory needs. Since returning to the masonry division, Gareth regularly aids architects in bringing their concepts to reality whilst ensuring compliance with current regulations.

Gareth holds a BSc in Architectural Technology and Innovation and is an associate member of CIAT.

Expertise:
Architectural detailing and construction, facades and masonry, and ensuring compliance with current regulation.

Favourite piece of architecture:
Machu Picchu.

Technical passion:
Problem solving and seeing a building move from paper to reality knowing that he and the team had a small part in it.

Greatest technical achievement:
While Gareth stresses that he is part of a team, he would also like to point out that there is a patent with his name on it.

Gina Butler

Technical and Product Support Manager

Role and responsibilities:
Providing technical advice and guidance to architects, housebuilders and self-builders about Forterra’s bricks, blocks and façade systems.

Qualifications and industry experience:
Gina shifted to a technical role after several years working in internal sales selling blocks. She is enjoying building her knowledge of the wider Forterra range with the support of her Technical Services colleagues.

Expertise:
Aircrete and aggregate blocks.

Favourite piece of architecture:
Gina appreciates a fine railway viaduct.

Technical passion:
Very customer focused, Gina enjoys finding solutions to customers’ challenges, so they are able to go away happy and confident in what they need to achieve.

Greatest technical achievement:
As a recent recruit to the team Gina is still learning but hopes to be able to update this section in the not too distant future.

Howard Pickwell

Technical Support Manager

Role and responsibilities:
Advising customers on best practice and the correct use of Forterra products, and assisting with construction-related queries, helping to overcome difficulties where necessary.

Qualifications and industry experience:
Howard has worked in the construction sector for almost four decades, in a variety of practical, commercial and technical roles for British Rail Estates, property developers and Forterra.

A qualified and practised advanced craft bricklayer, Howard has attained a Licentiateship of the City and Guilds of London institute and holds an HND in Construction Technology.

Expertise:
Masonry specification and construction practices.

Favourite piece of architecture:
Tower Bridge, London: a truly innovative engineering and construction project for its time, which remains functional and architecturally iconic.

Technical passion:
Assisting customers in overcoming design, specification or construction challenges and being involved in projects with exemplary brickwork that go on to win industry awards.

Greatest technical achievement:
Lead author of a site practice and workmanship document for the Brick Development Association and representing Leicester college in national competitions while an apprentice bricklayer.

Sarah Roberts

Product and Technical Services Administrator

Roles and responsibilities:
Sarah provides technical advice on Forterra’s brick, block and cladding system product ranges as well as looking after the order processing for the Wonderwall and SureBrick cladding systems, including ordering the raw materials for stock. When it’s a case of all hands on deck, Sarah can also be found preparing quotations for brick specials and cladding systems.

Qualifications and industry experience:
Sarah joined Forterra in 2018. She has a background working initially as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor in the Electricity sector before completing a Graduate Diploma in Quantity Surveying and moving into an Estimator role.

Although not a fan of having to answer questions about herself, Sarah is a whiz with figures, holding a BSc in Mathematics.

Expertise:
Administration and Excel.

Favourite piece of architecture:
Alconbury McDonalds. Unfortunately, it was demolished in 2008 but, as a kid, Sarah thought it was pretty cool.

Technical passion:
Anything to do with numbers and spreadsheets.

Greatest technical achievement:
There was once a lovely bit of conditional formatting that Sarah was particularly proud of...