Contributors
When you think of Teesside, glamourous might not be the first word that comes to mind. Or international. What about manufacturing motherland? Not these days. Well, Peter is the face helping to change all that. He’s from North East England, and proud. As a Partner in our commercial team and head of our manufacturing group, he’s showing the largest companies in the world exactly what the region has to offer.
Over his 29-year career, he’s provided support to preeminent players in the industrial arena whether it’s London, the US or Saudi (among many others). And he’s done it all with Teesside as his base. Bursting with opportunity, it’s a globally significant hub. Mention Teesside in Houston, or Riyadh and eyes light up. That’s in part thanks to Peter and his unique ability to infect colleagues and clients with his enthusiasm. He sees the scale of the industry and the potential for what different partnerships could create here. The link between petrochemicals and renewables – sits at Teesside. The chemical industry’s renaissance – it’s happening the North East. To Peter, that’s thrilling. He works at the heart of the industry of industries. A sector on the cusp of a grand reawakening. We need manufacturing for everything – our cars, our medicines, even the chips in our phones. And, as we move toward a more circular economy, Peter's helping shape that change. He advises companies looking to recycle plastics and use bio feedstocks, all while ensuring they’re commercially successful.
Putting the UK manufacturing industry on the map is one of his greatest passions. With his depth of experience in-house, he’s exactly the right person for the job. Before joining us at Womble Bond Dickinson, Peter worked as a lawyer for a range of ICI’s once prominent speciality chemicals businesses. What’s more, he was Global Legal Manager for ICI’s Acrylics business following its sale to INEOS.
But as someone with a wealth of global experience, he knows how to stay humble. Growing up, his father was a farmer and butcher, and he worked hard to send Peter and his brothers to one of the UK’s most sought-after public schools. It means he’s experienced what it’s like to enter more privileged circles and picked out the parts that work for him – as well as seeing the people he doesn’t want to be.
Don’t be surprised if he introduces himself with, “Apologies, I’m a lawyer.” That’s because his role is about being a person first and lawyer second. Of course, he has no reason to apologise. Clients can see the immense value Peter brings from day one. He thrives when meeting new people, whether it’s at a friend’s birthday, on the golf course, or in the working world. To Peter, every new connection is a breath of fresh air. A chance to spark something new and make his mark. He believes that if you can mash people together in one context or another, you can create great things.
With his broader perspective of the industry, that’s exactly what happens. Peter knows what five, ten or twenty businesses are up to at any given time, and he helps them have a vital conversation. They might be doing things differently, experiencing similar pitfalls, or even be sitting on a crucial solution that would make a new partnership extremely worthwhile. Forget sharing is caring, in this instance, sharing is daring to make a difference.
Peter has worked with businesses literally factory fences away from each other who can’t see the great stuff happening on the other side. That’s when he comes into his own – sharing best practice, pulling them together, and unlocking potential within the industry. His client base means he can always pick up the phone to former colleagues and connect the right people. And his range of projects means he can confidently ask them, “Why are you doing it like that?” and offer them a better way forward.
To some, Peter’s tried and tested method for helping teams work together might seem unconventional. Tracksuit and woolly hat on, whistle in hand, and a booming voice. That’s because he’s got extensive experience managing particularly difficult customers… the grassroots boys' rugby kind. As a longstanding coach for his two sons’ teams, he learned his key skills of conflict resolution and motivation, all while freezing his fingers off on the training ground or at the side of a pitch. Over 12 years of sharing tactics, he learned more than he ever could from being sat in the comfort of a temperature-controlled office. They may all be adults now, but Peter’s knowledge of helping a squad of unruly kids see past their differences is invaluable to his role today. Just like lawyers who love their own legal work, rugby players develop their own specialisms. They don’t necessarily see what they’re aiming for as a team, or how to get there. That’s where Peter comes in with a different perspective. He explains the goal and gets them to shoot for it together.
In his time as Coach Snaith, Peter showed his sons how to play to the strengths of the team. Together, they made the rugby field a space for everyone. It was about giving the nippier, more agile boys a chance to shine, but reminding them that they’d need the stronger ones in time, when full contact came around. Just like in the working world, he saw that kids could be brutal. He taught them to not slate someone who dropped the ball but to support them instead. People make mistakes, but when they put their arm around the new guy, they can play better and become a true team. That’s why if a new person walks into the office, Peter's always the first to say hello. He believes it takes just one conversation to build a bridge and make them feel better. Even if you might not talk to someone again for weeks, a proper welcome is invaluable.
Fiercely competitive (to a point), he often unwinds over a game of golf with his now fully-grown sons. For Peter, it’s not about winning at all costs. And the world doesn’t come to an end if he’s six shots behind. The real secret is finding a way to enjoy it. That everyday life hack reflects Peter’s outlook at work too. He’s a perennial optimist who truly relishes what he does.
Refreshingly, he doesn’t see any target as out of reach. When he hears the words, “that’s too difficult”, it lights a fire in him. It’s because he knows that when you finally hit on the solution, it might not actually be that complicated. Simplifying things for people and showing them a roadmap to get there is what Peter does best. He’s had lots of clients who would love to break into the US, but they’ve seen it as too demanding or dangerous. He’s also worked with companies who want to break into Saudi, but they just don’t know how. For businesses he works with, Peter takes problems out of the ‘too difficult’ and holds their hands through the process. He connects clients with experts he trusts that they can rely on too. His motto? It’s better to find out if something’s possible, than not try at all.
A prime example of his ambitious mindset is his work with inward investors. Some of his clients are building the largest facilities of their kind in the world, and they’re investing in Teesside. Peter supports visionary clients, helping them to ignore the noise and push through with their projects whenever there’s a prime opportunity.
Sometimes, when a new company comes to the area, they’re only shown a small piece of what the region has to offer. Peter and his team help them to realise that the scope of what they can do is much bigger. There might be multiple other sites they could invest in. Or introductions to a network that could open even more doors and unlock greater potential. The other side of what he does is advising stakeholders and influencers, including local authorities who might struggle to appreciate the strength of the North East's offering. Peter helps them to understand how supporting certain industries in one way or another could have a hugely positive impact for both the local and national economy.
It's clear that his “nothing’s impossible” attitude has driven his entire career. He looks after global clients as well as rapidly expanding SMEs. And he’s a member of the firm's Global Board, leading our international trade practice. But he never puts himself on a pedestal. Instead, he talks to people’s motivations, their skills and who they are. Whoever he meets, he connects with them through the thrill of the challenge. The excitement of what they could achieve together. And his work is proof that if you can get it right in the complex world of chemicals, you can get it right with everything. And if you want to make an impact, you should start in the North East.
