People news
from the world’s rental industry
■
C a r o l e
Bachmann has
joined the European
Rental Association
as manager of its
Brussels secretariat.
She moved to the new post on 1
December from her previous role
as EMEA managing director at
rental software company Wynne
Systems, where she worked for three
years. She was responsible for the
implementation of Wynne’s rental
management software for a number of
leading rental companies in Europe.
Ms Bachmann replaces Michel
Baumgartner, who after more than six
years with the ERA will pursue other
career opportunities.
“I am very pleased that Carole can
join our team and very much look
forward to working with her,” said
Mr Petitjean. “She has an excellent
understanding and knowledge of
Europe’s rental industry and will
therefore no doubt be a major asset for
the European Rental Association.
“I also take this opportunity to thank
Michel Baumgartner for his valuable
contribution and dedication in serving
the ERA since its very foundation. I
wish him all the best for his future
career.”
■
Volvo Construction
Equipment
has
appointed Martin
Weissburg as its new
president, effective 1
January, 2014.
Currently president of the Volvo
group’s customer finance company,
Volvo Financial Services (VFS), and a
member of the group executive team,
Mr Weissburg replaces Pat Olney, who
announced in October that he would be
stepping down as president of Volvo CE
at the end of this year.
Mr Weissburg has been president of
VFS since 2010, and prior to that he
served as president of Volvo Financial
Services Americas from 2005 to 2010.
■
Speedy is making senior
management changes, with former
Costain executive Mark Rogerson
joining as chief operating officer and
ex-Aggreko and Lavendon manager
Andy Wright taking up the post of
managing director of Middle East and
North Africa.
Board member Mike McGrath, who
was managing the international
business, is to leave Speedy after
seven years. David Graham, the
managing director for the UK and
Ireland, left Speedy in October.
Mr Rogerson, MBE, joined Speedy on
2 December as COO and will assume
responsibility for both the UK & Ireland
and International divisions. While
with Costain he was on the board
as managing director of the natural
resources division, responsible for
Costain’s work in sectors including
nuclear, oil and gas, and water and
waste.
Andy Wright, who joined on 12
November, has been a manager with
Aggreko and, most recently, with aerial
platform company Lavendon Group,
where he was managing director of its
international division.
■
Scott Park
has been named
president & CEO of
Doosan Infracore
C o n s t r u c t i o n
Equipment (DICE). He
will replace Tony Helsham, who retires
in February, having held the position
since 2010.
Mr Park was most recently global vice
president of strategy, manufacturing
strategy and total quality management
for DICE, a position he held since early
2012. He previously worked at Volvo
Construction Equipment, a company Mr
Helsham was president of from 2000 to
2008.
■
Ritchie Bros
Auctioneers
has
appointed Joerg
Bachmann as director
of marketing for
Europe, the Middle
East and Africa.
Mr Bachmann has extensive
experience in the European equipment
market having held senior positions
at Zeppelin Rental (formally MVS
Zeppelin) and Loxam in Germany. He
was chairman of the European Rental
Association’s Promotion Committee for
many years.
He will lead a team of nine marketing
employees in Breda, The Netherlands,
responsible for marketing thousands
of pieces of equipment sold at dozens
of auctions held across the region each
year.
■
Yngve Torkildsen
has joined the
Norwegian Rental
Association (NRA) as
director, taking over
from Arne Bugge who
is retiring in December.
A mechanical engineer with a degree
in business economics, Mr Torkildsen,
57, is a former telecoms executive and
one-time executive vice president of
sales and marketing at Ericsson group.
More recently he was sales director
at Micro Matic Norway AS, a company
that produces control systems for
lighting and heating. He has also been
executive vice president at Protan
AS, a roofing and specialist textiles
business working in the building and
construction sectors.
■
Aggreko has
appointed John
Wilson as its new
general manager for
the Nordic region.
Based in Oslo,
Norway, Mr Wilson will be responsible
for strengthening business across
Scandinavia for the temporary power
and temperature control services
provider.
Before joining Aggreko, he was
general manager for UK & Ireland
at Wayne, a GE Energy company
that manufactures fuel dispensing
products.
A
chartered
management
accountant, Mr Wilson has more than
21 years of experience working in
senior management positions across a
diverse range of sectors including food,
textiles, services and engineering.
■
Mike Ballweber
has been named
president of Doosan
Portable Power,
replacing former
president Shawn
Sweet who had been in the position
since February 2008. Doosan gave no
reason for the change.
Mr Ballweber joins the Portable
Power business from sister company
Doosan Infracore Construction
Equipment (DICE), where his most
53
FACES & PLACES
IRN NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013
recent position was vice president of
product management, North America
and Oceania regions.
He joined Bobcat in 1998, and
has experience in areas including
sales, product management, dealer
development, inventory planning and
customer support.
■
UK-based Morris
Site
Machinery
has
appointed
Nick Avill as
international sales
director.
Mr Avill will lead the company’s
international drive into overseas
markets. His initial focus will be on
priorities the market sectors and
regions to target and sales channels
to use.
With a background in electrical
engineering and heavy industry,
Mr Avill brings to the post 28 years
of experience working in sales and
business development.
■
Nationwide Platforms managing
director Mike Potts has resigned
from the UK-based access rental giant.
Commercial director Rob Owen and
executive director of human resources
Kate Liggins have also left.
The company said Mr Potts, who
joined the company in 2010, had left
to pursue a new career opportunity,
adding that more details about the
interim management arrangement
would follow.
■
Mini-Excavator specialist Hanix
Europe Ltd has appointed Paul Clarke
as UK sales manager. Mr Clarke was
most recently southern area sales
manager at Takeuchi, another mini
excavator supplier.
His appointment comes as Hanix
relocates its sales and service
operation from Manchester to a
modern facility at High Wycombe, close
to London.
IRN
US lighting tower manufacturer Allmand Brothers put on two ‘Night-Lite Golf Tournaments’ recently
at the Holdrege Country Club in Nebraska for suppliers, customers and employees. More than sixty-
one Night-Lite Pro II light towers were used to illuminate the last nine holes. All funds raised by
Holdrege-based Allmand were donated to the Phelps County Community Foundation and Give2Grow,
which supports local non-profit organisations.
