Proud to be part of something bigger
Liam Coyne’s been part of the Trust family for more than a decade, but with over 19 months under his belt as MD and owner, he talks about what Trust means to him, why we’ve rebranded and what kind of future he’s building.
Hi Liam. Can you tell us a bit about your background?
Sure. My old man worked in utilities, so he encouraged me to get into the industry too. I started out at 18 doing hands-on roles, then took a job as site manager. By the time I was 25 I’d decided to go out on my own, starting a business and building it from the ground up, which I loved.
Fast forward to 2016 and I joined Trust as a commercial manager, developing growth strategies and exploring ways for us to do what we do even better. I’ve worked in quite a few roles around the business, but I became a director in 2018, then a shareholder in 2020, before buying the business 100% in 2024.
What does your role look like day to day?
Honestly, no two days are the same! Because I take a pretty holistic approach to everything, whether it’s getting out on site, marketing or talking to clients, meetings generally take up a big portion of my time – and obviously I’m in the car a lot because I’m driving all over the place.
But I suppose I’d say most of my time’s spent on contract management, working on the operational and commercial elements of the business. I’m looking at, strategically, where the business is going to be in two to five years’ time and where we’re trying to pitch ourselves.
What made you want to buy the business and take it forward?
Trust has so much potential. We’re a well-established business that’s been built by incredibly hard-working people who care about their work – and we’ve got strong roots in the Midlands. I saw an opportunity to take it on and push that potential, growing Trust into a business that’s nationally recognised as being an excellent utility provider. I really believe we can do that, and at the same time be a responsible, forward-thinking organisation.
When you look at the business today, what do you think people should feel proud of?
I think we should all be really proud of our integrity. Clients come to us because of our collaborative approach to problems – because we look at those problems through their eyes and try to solve them together. And I think that’s about the culture we’ve built. The pride and integrity running right through the business is just second to none.
What also strikes me is how the people at Trust all pull together. It’s not just about showing up and doing a job, it’s about being part of something bigger – and really feeling that. Whenever we’ve come up against difficult times, we’ve showed up and supported each other.
Can you think of a moment that sums up the Trust attitude?
We had some great feedback on a project we did a little while back for the local authority in Nottingham. The team was working outside a school and on their break they talked to the kids about what they were doing and showed them the excavator.
That’s what Trust is about for me. The team understood what was going on around them and what would make a difference to the kids. And these moments matter. Every kid loves a digger, and you never know, one of them might just decide that’s what they want to for a job – all because someone was kind and showed them what they were doing.
The school said we made the kids’ day – and that makes me feel proud because the team took time out when they were really, really busy to just give something back. That’s what we are at Trust. We appreciate that when we’re digging holes in the road, we’re not everyone’s favourite people, but we’re able to step back, be polite and help people understand what we’re doing. When you react like that, it’s generally paid back in dividends.
Looking ahead, what are your plans and ambitions for Trust?
First and foremost, I want us to be a purposeful, positive business. Because when you’re working with utilities, whether it’s gas, water, electricity or telecoms, you’re the backbone of a community. What we build affects where people live and how they grow, so I want to make sure we add value – not just turn up and do a job. That sense of purpose and positive impact gives us meaning and makes us accountable to the areas we’re working in.
Secondly, I want us to be a benchmark for excellence. That’s what I’m striving for. It’s not just about being good, it’s about making a real impact and becoming something people point to as a great model for how our industry should do things. And that means taking a holistic view, with our Trust Talent academies, with sustainability and with community impact.
I think for me, right now, what’s exciting is the potential. We’re building momentum and we want to capitalise on that and shape a culture that’s purpose driven. In five years’ time, if we’ve built something that’s nationally recognised, community anchored and gives back to the areas where we work, that’s something I’ll definitely be super proud of.
When you bring change, however positive it is, it’s so important to bring people along with you, so as we push forward I want to keep hold of our roots. A big part of that is being people-centric, so I want to make sure people understand that they’re appreciated and they always have a voice.
You mentioned sustainability – will that be a big part of Trust’s future?
Absolutely. Sustainability isn’t just a side project, it’s got to be front and centre. Generating energy, building energy resilience and driving that transition to more sustainable power is so important. And whether it’s providing EV charging for cars or putting solar panels on buildings, the infrastructure behind all of that has to be upgraded – we’ve got to be part of that.
So yes, we want to make our own business greener, but it’s also about looking ahead and thinking about how we can be part of that bigger energy transition. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s what’s going to sustain us as a company long term. That’s why it has to become absolutely central to all of our work.
Can you tell us a bit about the Trust rebrand?
Of course. It was time for a rebrand, for a lot of reasons. For me personally, I wanted to really take ownership of Trust and make sure that outwardly we’re representing all of the good things we’re doing as a team. We’ve grown and evolved but our branding hadn’t kept up. I love the new look – it’s modern and professional, capturing where we are today and what we want to do.
When I look at how it’s all come together on the website, all of the great drone footage we shot, it just makes me feel incredibly proud. It really shows all the integrity and pride we have in the business we are today – we’re anchored in our communities and moving forward.
I know when I first presented it to the team there was a bit of uncertainty in the room and I get it – it was a big change after a long time. But now people are seeing the new identity out in the real world, on our vans, it’s a different story. I’ve had so many positive comments about how good it is and how modern and striking it feels, so it’s great to see everyone really happy.
Finally, what do you love most about working at Trust?
The people, definitely. The work we do isn’t always easy, and the hours can be long. We’re a service provider, so when things go wrong, we have to fix it, whatever time of day it might be. Having good people you can work alongside, shoulder to shoulder, to get those challenges resolved, that’s what makes Trust different. That can-do attitude is really special.
For us, for me at least, it’s not just a job. It’s about creating something we can all stand back and be proud of. I think that’s why I’m trying to bring everyone along on this journey, so in two or three years’ time, we can all look back and say, we helped to build that.
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