Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of five managers as part of a continuing major restructuring programme. The new members of staff, which are a combination of internal and external appointments, follow hot on the heels of Jason Howlett becoming Hoppecke’s new Managing Director for the UK in September last year.
Based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has experienced significant business success and growth in recent years.
Since Howlett joined, the company has adopted a much clearer focus on the future and has put quality and availability of service at the heart of what it offers customers in terms of power management and energy storage solutions.
Key to this ethos is the appointment of Stuart Browne as Service Director to focus strongly on supporting customers’ needs to maximise their Hoppecke products.
Bringing with him 20 years of experience in field operations management, Browne has worked with such leading names as De La Rue and Jungheinrich.
Andy Neville joins the business as Operations & Supply Chain Manager, with his priorities to instil a culture of world class customer service, production, parts availability and operational excellence. Andy will also drive Hoppecke’s “lean” performance and ensure a safe, efficient working environment for all the company’s workers.
Another key appointment is that of Gus Whyte as Sales Director. A familiar face to many in the industry, Gus has worked in motive power for 38 years. With a genuinely global pedigree, he has vast experience in the technology and sales of motive power batteries, chargers, battery changing systems, and electronic management systems.
Still in sales, Hoppecke has announced the appointment of Dave Summerfield as Director of Business Development UK and International Key Accounts Germany. Dave has been in the battery business since 2005 and has looked after some of the biggest OEMs in the sector.
And finally, Hoppecke has previously never had a Human Resources Manager dedicated to – and located in – the UK but that has changed with the appointment of Sarah Wheat. Sarah will focus on transforming learning and development of the UK team and ensuring Hoppecke delivers the very best terms and conditions in the industry for its employees.
Jason Howlett said of the new appointments: “If anyone ever doubted Hoppecke’s level of commitment to the burgeoning UK energy management sector, adding these five highly skilled and hugely experienced individuals to the existing team proves just how serious we are about our key markets. Current and future customers and partners can feel assured that they are going to benefit from the absolute highest level of customer service in our sector. I’m really excited for 2016 and beyond!”
Hoppecke’s CEO, Dr Marc Zoellner, added: “I recently announced that we are in the process of a substantial investment programme in the infrastructure of Hoppecke in the UK and these senior appointments are an essential part of that policy.”
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