Stewart has now been with NGK since 1989 and has made a major contribution to the NGK Irish success story throughout this time. He remains just as enthusiastic about the company and its products today, as when he first started 25 years ago. He says, "NGK has always been a great organisation to work for. When I joined I knew it was a blue chip operation with fantastic products and right from the start, I was also impressed by the quality and commitment of the people and the company’s very progressive attitude.”  

 

Building on the OE pedigree of NGK as a supplier to every major car maker, Stewart has steadily developed NGK’s aftermarket sales in both the north and the south of Ireland, to a point where it is one of the top performing sales territories in Europe. He became the Irish Area Manager in 2003 and says the continued success of the brand in Ireland has always been customer driven. He comments, "I have so many long term customers who I have been dealing with right from the start, with many becoming good friends. People recognise NGK as a name for quality and performance and are very loyal to the brand.”  

 

Stewart still spends a large part of his working week "at the coalface” visiting garages and as well as the spark plugs for which the company is best know, he now also promotes a growing range of glow plugs, NTK lambda sensors, ignition coils and the recently introduced exhaust gas temperature sensors. Stewart says, "The product range has expanded dramatically over the years, but with these new introductions quality has always been at the heart of everything we do.”

 

One of the highlights of his time with NGK came in 2007 with a visit to the company HQ in Japan. Stewart recalls, "Visiting Japan really gave me a unique insight into the size and scale of NGK. You really get a sense of the high standards and attention to detail that runs throughout the company and the high calibre of the people from top to bottom of the organisation.”

 

Stewart indeed has first-hand experience and strong contacts with the management team at the very top of the company. In his early days with NGK, Stewart worked developing the business in Ireland with a young man from NGK Japan called Shinichi Odo. When he returned to Japan he rose rapidly up the NGK ranks and is now no less than NGK President and CEO. He still recalls his time in Ireland fondly and remains in direct contact with Stewart.