Pattonair makes key senior appointments as it completes centralisation of European operations at its new Hub in Derby

Jan. 18, 2013
The European Hub was officially opened on October 1st following major extensions to the Company’s existing facilities.

Pattonair, the leading global aerospace and defence supply chain service provider, is delighted to announce that it has made a number of key senior appointments as it completes the centralisation of its European operations at the Company’s new Hub in Derby.

The European Hub was officially opened on October 1st following major extensions to the Company’s existing facilities on the site and has been equipped to the very highest standards throughout to create a truly state-of-the-art logistics complex. This important development has taken place at a time of significant new investment in Derby through the Council’s Derby Regeneration Fund.

Since the official opening, intensive work has been progressing to complete the transfer of all relevant European operations and functions to the new complex. Recently completed was the movement of the Company’s range of Products from its Woking facility into the Hub - a process that involved over 20,000 batches, all of which had to be documented, coded and tracked. Pattonair have been working with their customers, who were supplied by Pattonair’s Woking facility, to ensure that all approvals were extended to cover the Hub activity. This activity has been successfully completed and the Hub has the same approvals as the Woking facility.

Pattonair established its presence in Derby back in 1999 when the Company moved there to ensure an enhanced level of service for one of its key customers, Rolls Royce. Pattonair’s desire to excel in customer service led to the decision to expand the current site and create the European Hub which will enable Pattonair to deliver ever greater operational efficiencies for all of its customers in Europe.

Coinciding with the re-structuring of its operations, Pattonair has also made a number of new senior appointments:

Kevin Sargent – Chief Operating Officer (COO)

From 1st January 2013, Kevin will assume the role of COO. Based at the new Derby Hub, he will be focusing on maximising the effectiveness and performance of Pattonair’s Solutions business supported by the Customer Service teams, Quality, Operations and IT.

Kevin commented: “This is an exciting time to be taking on the responsibilities of COO. I’m looking forward to working closely with my teams and my senior management colleagues to ensure that we deliver an ever increasing quality of service to our customers.”

Richard Gayle – Group Commercial Director and acting US General Manager

Richard, who will be based initially both at our Fort Worth facility in the US and in Singapore, will be responsible for growing Pattonair’s direct sales globally.

“I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to develop Pattonair’s markets in both the Americas and Asia, commented Richard. The company is a world leader in aerospace supply chain solutions and as such has experienced exceptional growth over the last 10 years. I am proud to be part of a dynamic and enthusiastic management team which is committed to providing exceptional customer service and value.”

Richard Mogg – Commercial Finance Director

In this newly-created role, Richard will be heading up a new Commercial Finance team, providing global support for Pattonair Commercial Teams.

Joining Pattonair from Capita’s IT Service and Consulting Division, Richard commented: I’m excited and enthused about the challenge and the opportunity both at a personal and company level. I’m looking forward to contributing to the growth of the Company and working with some great people.”

Steve Williams – Head of HR

Steve will be supporting the leadership team in developing the global people practices needed for sustainable growth across all of Pattonair’s cross-cultural operations. In particular, he will be responsible for enhancing the Company values and the underpinning HR policies and for ensuring that the Company attracts the necessary talent and engages with employees at all levels.

Commenting on his new role, Steve, who has a background in both the City and the MoD, said: “I was really keen to join Pattonair as it is a company with strong leadership, a really good reputation within the industry and global operations with great opportunities for growth. Since joining I have been impressed with the commitment and passion that employees at all levels have demonstrated in Asia, the Americas and Europe.”

Sue Williams – Group Supply Chain Director

Joining from BAE Systems, Sue will be responsible for developing Pattonair’s overall capability in the areas of forecasting, planning and inventory management, taking the best of the current local capability and developing a global approach.

“Joining Pattonair gives me the opportunity to help shape a growing, global organisation, said Sue. I am looking forward to developing capability in the business and delivering significant benefits.”

Wayne Hollinshead, Pattonair’s CEO, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome all of our new appointments on board. They are joining us at an important time of change and transformation of Pattonair, particularly within our European operations. With the move to our new European Hub complete, we can now start taking full advantage of the excellent opportunities we have to deliver an even higher level of customer service.”