John started out with Diespeker working part-time through school and university at the tender age of 17 in what was very much a family business. John’s father bought Diespeker in the 1970s, and his brother and sister also worked at the company. After he graduated, John started full-time work estimating and project management. He then went on to become joint MD with his brother before becoming sole MD around 8 years’ ago.

John is very much a hands-on MD, overseeing sales, estimating, accounts and projects. Passionate and driven, with a real love of natural stone and terrazzo, John has invested time, energy and creativity into creating the business into the success it is today.

When he has the chance, John travels the world to take part in marathons; to date he has run 169 marathons and participated in five Iron Man events; he has represented GB in his age group four times in duathlons, half and full Iron Man events. John is committed to ‘going the extra mile’ not only in running but also in charitable giving. He has supported many good causes including being headline supporter for stem4, teenage mental health charity which is close to his heart not only because he is the father of four but also because it is founded by his wife, Nihara.

Best part of the job? “Joining the dots of a complex business and knowing that it is all working really well.”

Sydney joined the team in March 2015. His role is mainly liaising with clients on a day to day basis, with a focus on bespoke projects as well as a level of project management and sales. He coordinates with John and Bruno for estimates and quotes.

Sydney has a secondary role as the onsite contact for Diespeker’s marketing agency and facilitates media visits to site, which have included filming by the BBC and Barclays Bank.

Sydney is a massive fan of the arts and in particular the theatre. He also enjoys travelling and says his favourite place to visit is Scotland, where he has relatives.

Best part of the job? “Working as part of a team, dealing with clients and seeing bespoke ideas turn into reality.”

Before joining Diespeker, Nick worked for MD John Krause’s wife Dr Nihara Krause in the private healthcare sector. She suggested he apply to Diespeker and he joined part-time in April 2015, moving to full-time just four months later. Nick’s role encompasses a variety of tasks, from managing staff holidays, HR and H&S to accounting and admin.

For Nick, downtime means pursuing his interest in history, social and economic affairs, and enjoying long walks in the countryside. He’s walked in different areas of the UK, with recent jaunts including Lands’ End, Dover and Berkhamsted.

Best part of the job? “I really enjoy managing people - or as I call it, dealing with the rascals and reprobates at Diespeker!”

Fresh out of college where she studied Business Studies, Karina started at Diespeker in November 2017. Her main role is overseeing quotes: taking initial enquiries, putting together prices and sending the quote to clients. While her colleague has been on maternity leave, Karina has taken on additional tasks including assigning job numbers, ordering materials and giving information to Bruno for templating as well as drafting invoices.

Karina is a home bird and enjoys spending her spare time watching television programmes and being active on social media.

Best part of the job? “I really enjoy talking to clients, finding out what they want for their project and ensuring that they receive the best quote we can give them.”

David came to Diespeker initially when he was just 16. His uncle worked for Diespeker and David took a summer job while he was at college studying IT. He was kept busy tidying the yard and helping out, and eventually took a full-time position. He worked on the CNC machine, the saw and undertook jennying work so has a really good understanding of all the factory processes. And as part of the factory team, he still gets involved on a practical level as well as overseeing jobs, handing out the work, ensuring schedules are met and sorting out any issues.

You’ll find David playing golf at the weekends with his mates at different courses around Kent, and he also enjoys running.

Best part of the job? “I love taking pride in the work and the chance to get involved with some really nice jobs - it’s really nice to see happy clients. Being part of a hardworking team is really rewarding too.”

Bruno’s brother-in-law worked at Diespeker, which led to him joining the team in 2007. As Ops Manager Bruno oversees each project from the start, visiting clients, undertaking surveys if required, creating sketches then seeing it through production, organising installations and dealing with any issues arising along the way. He works on all sizes of project, from small domestic to huge industrial undertakings.

A dedicated family man, Bruno spends his free time with his wife and two children, visiting the cinema, parks and going away on family holidays.

Best part of the job? “The whole process – from the start when we go to site and the client hasn’t got a clear idea so we give advice and suggestions, to the moment they see the final result and we know they’re happy.”

Andy is central to Diespeker’s reputation for bespoke terrazzo. He joined in 1992, basically because his mum worked at Diespeker. From the start he worked in the ‘green hut’, the bespoke area at the factory, with the experts - Ron, Arthur and Kenny who had been making bespoke materials for 30 years. Andy learnt his skills from them, and the processes remain very much the same today. As head of the bespoke team, Andy often goes out on site especially for restoration which has included a 1930s Art Deco entrance and an 1860s surface. There’s a lot of problem solving involved in this type of work.

When work finishes on Friday, Andy enjoys a good bit of banter with the team onsite – they often have a drink and BBQ. Andy says the teamworking and socialising goes hand in hand.

Best part of the job? “Every day is different. One day we’re working on countertops, another it will be flooring. Sometimes we’re producing brand new terrazzo, other times old terrazzo that needs to be repaired.

Although Diego studied mechanics, he never worked in this role, but instead became a stonemason when he was just 19. Diego worked for a stone company for 17 years, becoming senior procurer and quality controller. He went on to work for several other businesses before joining Diespeker in June 2019.

Much of his role at the company involves following up quotes and estimates put forward to clients by John and Karina. Diego checks that the client is happy with the quote and timescales. The other part of his job is to accompany visitors to the showroom and factory. He says he enjoys both roles equally, but particularly likes meeting with clients, chatting with them and showing them around.

Outside of work, Diego is a family man spending time with his wife and son. When he joined Diespeker he became caught up in the cycling craze, buying a professional bike which he uses to travel around London and discover hidden away places difficult to reach by public transport or car.

Tanya’s background is within hospitality. She worked in front of house at the Italian restaurant Del Villaggio in Birmingham for 12 years before moving to London. Whilst at the restaurant she met Susannah who went on to work for Diespeker, and suggested Tanya join the company too which she did in July 2018.

Tanya is a bit of an allrounder; she fields sales enquiries and makes sure they get in front of the right person, prices up smaller tiling projects, arranges deliveries with couriers and meets clients to discuss upcoming projects before giving this information to the estimators. She says the best part of her day to day work is the variety of the projects, which means she is always learning something new.

When not at the office Tanya enjoys getting out into the fresh air with her young son. She also loves reading books with him. She likes cooking too, with a wide range of dishes including seafood pasta, and curries in her repertoire.

Kelly had a varied career before joining Diespeker in February 2020. Her previous roles included working as a carer, being a clothing supervisor in a Nutmeg concession at Morrisons, along with her time spent at Franks restaurant, where she met Lily who recommended her to Diespeker. Kelly was looking for a new challenge and the opportunity at Diespeker fit the bill perfectly.

In her broad role, Kelly is responsible for all sample requests that come in to Diespeker by email, phone or via the website ordering system. She oversees the processing of all the orders, including liaising with the factory to get samples cut and overseeing their rapid distribution to clients. Alongside this, Kelly also organises Diespeker’s logistics, making sure deliveries come and go on time and ensuring operations run smoothly.

Around 15 years ago, Sonny changed the direction his career was taking completely and started working in the stone masonry business. He worked for a number of different companies, learning all the time and growing his experience and professionalism. He joined Diespeker in May 2015.

As Assistant Operations Manager Sonny’s role includes many varied tasks within the whole work process – he says it’s hard to describe everything he does and all the responsibilities he takes. He gets involved in most projects here in the UK as well as overseas, covering residential and commercial, from installing kitchen worktops and reception desks to wall cladding. He is also involved in templating, pendulum floor testing and handling customer enquiries.

Sonny likes the fact that every day starts with a different project to work on. He really enjoys talking with happy clients when a job is finished, as customer satisfaction is his main motivation.

Outside of work Sonny loves to spend time with his friends, particularly when its BBQ weather. And when he gets the chance, he enjoys travelling abroad.

Rosy-May grew up very locally to Diespeker - in fact, her first job was working in the ticket office at Millwall FC, which can be seen from just outside the Diespeker site. From here, she went on to work at Wetherspoons, trained as a hairdresser and also had a stint working in a law firm.

Rosy-May joined Diespeker in late 2020, initially focusing on undertaking administrative tasks around the office and learning valuable customer service skills. She has since progressed to become an Estimator at Diespeker, providing prices for customers on a number of services including for domestic jobs, supply-only orders and assisting with more complex commercial quotations.

She says she enjoys every aspect of the job, especially learning how to read measurements for quotes. When she’s not at Diespeker, Rosy-May loves indulging in retail therapy and she enjoys spending time with her family.

Ollie joined the team in March 2022 following a successful career in financial public relations and investor relations, where he advised a number of industrial, manufacturing and construction companies in the UK and overseas. His deep sector experience is an ideal springboard for his role in driving growth at Diespeker.

Ollie spends his time assisting clients whilst supporting both the sales and marketing functions. He is also involved in the day-to-day management of internal functions at the company.

In his spare time, Ollie enjoys spending time with friends and watching and playing sport. Impressively, he recently cycled the length of the UK from John o’ Groats to Land’s End.

Best part of the job? "The variety and versatility of our products. We have so many exquisite materials - and sometimes it seems we can turn them into just about anything. We're always trying to generate new ideas and make everything bigger and better, which really is quite exciting."

Jose joined Diespeker in 2015 having previously been involved in a number of large scale terrazzo flooring projects including airports, supermarkets and metro stations across Spain, France, Germany and Dubai. His detailed knowledge of the epoxy resin flooring market is almost unrivalled and his unique expertise in application methods for complex products is invaluable to Diespeker.

As Project Manager, Jose ensures the smooth delivery of the company’s flooring projects, particularly our more intricate commercial jobs.

Away from Diespeker, Jose enjoys cycling, cross country running, walking in the mountains and spending time with his friends and family.

Best part of the job? “It has to be when we do the final polish on a new floor and you can see the end product, with its vivid colours, really come to life. It makes me enormously happy and proud, particularly when what can seem to be such a simple process on the surface is generally rather challenging to execute.