Blog: Meet Paul Dearman, our Head of Business Development

With over 28 years of experience in the electronics industry, Paul Dearman plays a vital role at GTK as our Head of Business Development. Paul’s expertise and technical knowledge has played a key role in the company’s successes during 14 years with the company.

Joining the company as an Area Sales Manager in 2011, Paul became our Head of Business Development in 2023 in recognition of his proven track record of onboarding new customers in a diverse range of markets.

Find out more about Paul’s time at GTK, how he approaches business development and his excitement for the future below.

Can you tell us a little about your journey at GTK and how your role has evolved since you first joined?

"I have been at GTK for approaching 14 years now, supporting a diverse range of markets and applications. During this time, both the company and I have been on a journey of tremendous growth, change and investment, having opened a manufacturing facility in Romania and expanded into a range of new markets.

"I’m proud to have massively contributed to the company’s output of ventilators and stairlifts during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping maintain safety standards in care homes.

"I was really excited about the acquisition of GTK by Volex PLC in late 2018, which increased our portfolio of products to customers, in particular global power cords, EV charging and infrastructure."

What is your favourite part of your role as Head of Business Development?

"I love the personal and proactive parts of my job, seeking new opportunities, meeting new people and delivering business growth."

What do you think sets GTK apart in the cable assembly industry?

"GTK are innovative, and we’re always looking for ways to help our customers make things simpler or carry out their manufacturing process more efficiently.

"At all levels of the company, there’s a real ‘can-do’ attitude, and we’re committed to delivering exceptional customer service, whether you’re looking for something fully customised or just a tiny adjustment to your electronics."

How do you approach developing new business and building relationships with potential clients?

"The first step is to fully understand the customer's remit, which is the most important thing. Once you know a customer’s situation and brief inside-out, it’s a lot easier to highlight what we can do to help.

"Then I’ll explain how GTK will add value, which differs from client to client depending on their needs and desired outcomes. We might be able to help clients reduce their time-to-market through our rapid prototyping service, or increase their build efficiency by combining multiple cables into a single, multi-purpose harness."

"As new technology is developed and brought to market, customisation of that technology plays a vital role in driving widespread adoption"

What’s been your proudest achievement at GTK so far?

"I think the main thing that makes me proud is how we collaborate with our customers and collaborate internally, across the business. Because we provide an end-to-end service, we’re often working really closely with customers, from the early stages of their product design until they’re ready to bring a solution to market.

"We strive to become an extension of their business, and that’s something I’m really proud of.

"I’m also really happy with how integrated GTK is as a company, which is allowing us to support a wider range of customers than ever. We’ve been able to utilise our manufacturing locations in the UK, Romania and the Far East to provide winning solutions at any volume or level of specialisation and pivot seamlessly when we need to.

"We also recently gained the ISO45001 accreditation for health, safety and environmental practices. Making cable assemblies and harnesses for such a huge range of markets, we face some challenges in terms of sustainability. But I’m incredibly proud that none of our waste goes to landfill, which is helping pave the way for the future of UK manufacturing."

Is there anything you’re particularly excited about going forward?

"For me, the most exciting thing about working for GTK at the moment is working in forward-thinking sectors, and I’m most excited to see which market we make a difference in next.

"We’re already providing innovative solutions and exceptional customer service for businesses working in sectors like Defence and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), where we hold the AS9100D accreditation.

"We’re also helping drive forward-thinking solutions in the industrial and instrumentation sectors, security, medical and more, so I can’t wait to see which area we’ll be supporting next.

"As new technology is developed and brought to market, customisation of that technology plays a vital role in driving widespread adoption. Our custom manufacturing expertise in cable assemblies, displays and embedded systems and various levels of box-build is going to play a huge role in supporting that!"

Finally, how would you describe the GTK team in three words?

“Experienced, meticulous and proud.”