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Photograph showing Rob, Peter, Audrey and Charlie

Why are graduates important to Wolseley?

Chip Hornsby

"We have a great track record of growth, doubling in size every six to seven years. To maintain momentum, we know that we need a constant flow of top quality talent. Ours is not a normal business – in fact I don't think that we have a true competitor in the usual sense of the word. So we can't just go out and hire people who have learned their business skills elsewhere. We need to bring our own graduates into the company and develop them."

Rob Marchbank

"The business has really grown over the last few years. We're well established in the FTSE 100 and have sales of over £16 billion. As we continue to grow, we need talent to help sustain our profitable growth. We are already present in 21 countries across Europe, in addition to our operations in North America. As we grow, we will continue to extend our geographical reach. Clearly, we need people who can communicate and operate effectively with a variety of customers across a range of business environments."

Chip Hornsby

"There's a big initiative within Wolseley to leverage our strengths across our businesses. This won't just happen on its own. We need high-quality managers who can take the strongest parts from our businesses and bring them together in a spirit of sharing and co-operation, in order to improve our overall performance."

Rob Marchbank

"Picking up on Chip's point, we need bright people on board who can shape business strategy across national boundaries and cultures. Of course, language skills are increasingly important, but our graduates also need to display some cultural sensitivity. They should also have the skills that are required to develop and shape our future business strategy."