Meet Our Team
Meet Our Team
Our experienced team of Contracts Managers don't just deliver great training; they're available nationwide to offer advice and support, not just over the phone, but in person and on-site.
Steve Davies
National Training & Development Manager
07817 470074
After completing an apprenticeship in Floor Laying & Ceramic Tiling, Steve went on to become a self-employed installer, fitting all types of floorcoverings. After more than 25 years working on sites across Shropshire, Cheshire and Wales, Steve was given the opportunity to set up and run a floorcovering installation course, at a local college.
Within his role Steve qualified as a teacher in 2008 and gained the following qualifications;
• Level 3 Award in Management and Learning
• NVQ Level 2 & 3 Assessor Award in Floorcoverings
• IQA Award and many more…
Since joining ARDEX in 2014 Steve has trained thousands of contractors and helped to set up our new ARDEX Training Academy in Stoke-on-Trent. In 2019 Steve was promoted to the position of ARDEX National Training Manager, looking after our team of Contracts Managers and ARDEX training across the UK.
Daniel Fairhurst
Technical Support Manager
07815 525123
Daniel started working as a floor layer while gaining his NVQ in Floorcoverings at college, installing carpet and domestic vinyl. Daniel went on to complete his FITA training, and qualified as an NICF Master Fitter.
In 2012 Daniel took on a new challenge as a Training Manager at Floorskills, Europe’s largest bespoke floor training centre, planning courses, writing manufacturer guidelines and overseeing apprenticeships, ensuring the training met NVQ standards.
Daniel joined ARDEX in 2016 as a Contracts Manager; a role that includes site support, technical advice and training, and in his time with ARDEX he has trained over 3,000 flooring professionals at distributor events, training colleges and our purpose built training academies.
Vince Ruffini
Technical Support Manager
07736 638536
Vince began his tiling career at the age of 17 when he joined his father’s bathroom renovation business. After gaining his City & Guilds qualification in Wall & Floor Tiling at the Skills Centre he moved on to teach the Level 2 course himself, teaching students all aspects of tiling from rendering and screeding through to the installation of natural stone and mosaics.
After a period as a self-employed tile fixer, sub-contracting for Bennett Homes, Urban Homes and Colonial Kitchens, Vince joined Hackney College where he once again taught City & Guilds Wall & Floor Tiling at Levels 1 and 2, helping over 50 students a year gain a diploma, CSCS Card and all the skills they’d need to start or join a tiling business.
As a former TTA Committee Member Vince was instrumental in creating an Experienced Worker Route (EWR) course to allow experienced fixers to gain qualifications through a fast-track program, before joining ARDEX in 2016 as a Technical Service Representative and moving to his current position of Contracts Manager in 2018.
Ian Lawton
Technical Support Manager
07815 525123
Ian began his career in the flooring industry at the age of 18, gaining experience in the high end retail carpet sector, before joining a commercial flooring company and sub-contracting for some of the largest companies in this field.
Before joining ARDEX in 2002 as a Technical Advisor, Ian built up extensive knowledge and experience of the flooring industry by working on national and European projects.
Over the past 17 years Ian has given advice to thousands of professional flooring contractors, and visited hundreds of sites up and down the country, helping to specify the most appropriate ARDEX system for the job.