We bid a fond farewell to Alister Watt, one of our Public Sector Contract Managers, from our Glasgow office. He heads into retirement after nearly 20 years in the office equipment industry.
Alister Watt – The Early Years
Alister attended Bellshill Academy School in 1966. He then went to Glasgow University graduating with an MA in Geography & Economic History. Alister moved to Birmingham for three years with Hoskins Medical Equipment. Then he returned to Scotland to work for Unilever as a warehouse manager.
Alister Watt – Office Equipment Expert
In 1984 Alister realised his desire to provide copy, print and scan equipment to the world at large. His employer was Erskine Business Machines in Livingston – a Canon dealership.
Alister was determined to deliver the best service to the marketplace. In 1989, he became Scottish sales manager with Bell & Howell selling micrographic equipment and also computer aided retrieval systems.
Then Alister branched out for himself by setting up two pet shops.
In 2003, he joined NRG (Nashuatec, Rex Rotary & Gestetner) – all Ricoh brands (which in 2007 became Ricoh Europe). There he became a public sector account manager.
He was welcomed into the Capital family in 2009 as a Scottish Procurement Contract Manager and swiftly proceeded to make the West of Scotland his own.
Alister was presented with several awards over the years by MD – Tom Flockhart
Alister dealt with a number of famous Scottish organisations like Historic Scotland, Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Enterprise. He also specialised in the housing association sector dealing with dozens of customers like the Wheatley Group where he managed the roll-out of over 250 devices installed across Scotland. Alister was also instrumental in Capital becoming Commercial Associate Members of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) – the national representative body for Scotland’s housing associations and co-operatives.
Surprise: Alister & Chris Hosie wrapping up the Cash for Kids Christmas Donation Box
He also took part in Capital’s regular fundraising efforts like Capital’s Cash for Kids Mission Christmas.
“Alister will be missed by staff and customers alike. There have been huge changes in the office equipment business since he first joined the industry. Alister was an excellent account manager always putting the customer first and keen to showcase our latest technology. We wish him all the best for the future.” Fraser Robertson – Scottish Procurement Contract Manager
