Mr Ward joined the company in 2007 as managing director of two of the Group’s main subsidiaries, MB Engineering Services Ltd and MB Plastics Ltd, and as part of his new role, he will be responsible for moving the company forward as it emerges from a challenging trading period.
Making the announcement, Hugh Hayes, chairman of Motherwell Bridge, said: “Russell has been with the company for over two years, initially as managing director of our UK operations, and latterly as our head of business development.
“The promotion to chief executive is not only well deserved but it is a natural progression for Russell, and I believe he is now ready to drive the company forward as the economy starts to improve.”
Mr Hayes continued: “I’ve been with Motherwell Bridge as executive chairman for seven years now, and it is time to take a step back from the front line. As has been the case with many others in our sector, 2009 and 2010 have been very challenging, but we are now starting to receive more enquiries, albeit mostly for future years.
“I’m now going to move into a part-time
role to allow Russell to develop the company, however I’m still a shareholder
so will maintain an active presence – just from further away.”
Commenting on his appointment Russell Ward added: “I’m keen to push on and develop our three principal areas of activity, namely bulk storage tanks, heat exchangers, and materials handling, all of which have experienced an increase in enquiries recently. I’ll also continue to work with our major shareholder, Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain), to further develop opportunities in the Middle East.”
A member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Russell holds a degree in Business Studies with Accountancy and over the course of the past 20 years has held a series of senior roles with project, process and mechanical engineering companies throughout the UK including Ishida Europe, Marconi Radar and Game Engineering.