News in Brief Appointments

Shanks appoints two directors

Jeremy Simpson joins Shanks as UK finance director.A chartered accountant, Mr Simpson has 20 years experience at companies including KPMG, Avery Dennison and Smiths Medical International. The latter saw 50% growth during his time as finance director. Most recently he was director of finance at Hunting Plc, a FTSE-250 supplier of equipment for drilling oil wells.

At the same time, Paul Holmes joins Shanks as UK business development director. A chartered mining engineer, Mr Holmes has spent most of his career in the quarrying industry, in both operational and commercial roles at companies including Lafarge, Tarmac and, most recently, as European marketing & business development director at Harsco Infrastructure.

At Shanks, Mr Holmes will be responsible for building on the companys recent PFI successes and broader capital works programme.

Commenting on the new appointments, Ian Goodfellow, managing director, UK, at Shanks, said: Our strategy to deliver sustainable alternatives to landfill and incineration for our customers is proving successful and growth in the UK is gaining significant momentum. We are delighted to welcome both Jeremy and Paul to the team. Their strength and experience will be invaluable in continuing to maintain focus and drive.

Covanta appoints new construction director

Energy-from-waste specialist Covanta Energy has appointed Edward Thomas as project director for construction.

Mr Thomas brings more than 20 years experience in the construction and engineering industry. Prior to taking up the role, he worked as project director at Shanks/United Utilities. Earlier in his career he worked for Veolia Environmental Services UK.As managing director at Veolia ES Southwark, he led the Tower Hamlets, Southwark & London sorting contracts where he concluded negotiations on the 850m, 25-year PFI contract, establishing the delivery company and managing the transition through to successful operation. He also delivered on time and on budget an 85 million infrastructure programme for a 35-year, 1.3bn Public Private Partnership while at Veolia ES. This included all planning, permitting, procurement and delivery of an Energy Recovery Facility, new Materials Recycling Facility and the refurbishment of five recycling sites and supporting infrastructure.

Mr Thomas primary duties will be the negotiation of the Ince EPC Contract and managing the subsequent construction of the Ince facility. Mr Thomas will be reporting to Stuart Sim, director of construction and operations. He will be based at the Covantas head office in Halesowen, West Midlands.

Commenting on his new role, Mr Thomas said: Covanta has taken a very positive, pro-active approach to delivering energy-from-waste technology in the UK and Ireland. It has built a team of very capable people as part of that commitment and has strong support from its parent company in the US. I am looking forward to delivering the first of the new facilities for Covanta in the UK, building on the huge amount of work that has already gone into getting this far.

HotRot expands operations team

HotRot Organic Solutions, a technology supplier in the composting, anaerobic digestion sector and the waste water industry, has expanded its operations team by appointing a new project manager to help deliver its ambitious growth plans.

Alberto Sansone joins HotRot as the company completes the commissioning phases for an in-vessel composting facility in Norfolk and a specialised waste water grit and screenings plant in Kent. As a qualified engineer, Mr Sansone has previously led research studies in Malta which tackle the growing solid waste problem, together with projects to protect vital ground water supplies on the Mediterranean island. He also completed his Masters course in Advanced Energy and Environmental Studies earlier this year.

Managing director of HotRot Organic Solutions, James Lloyd, said: HotRot has been searching for a project manager with the right skills set and experience for the last six months. Albertos career background, his exceptional knowledge of anaerobic digestion and waste water technology, made him an obvious choice and Im delighted he has joined our expanding team at our new Cambridgeshire offices.

Graham Davy elected BMRA deputy president

Sims Metal Managements chief executive of Europe and Global Sims Recycling Solutions, Graham Davy, has been elected as deputy president of the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA).

Mr Davy has worked in the recycling sector for over 20 years including in engineering, steel manufacturing and metals recycling. Currently he is responsible for the direction of the Sims Metal Management metals recycling business in Europe. He will take over as BMRA president next year when current president Michael Oppenheimer steps down. Mr Davy specialises in strategic and technological development and leads a business portfolio of metals and electronics recycling, IT and mass market asset management services, which employs 4,000 staff globally.

He has grown Sims Recycling Solutions Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling business from concept to the worlds largest electronics recycling company employing over 3,000 people across the Americas, Europe, Australasia, Asia and Africa.

Commenting on Graham Davys appointment, Ian Hetherington, director general of the BMRA, said: Graham brings invaluable knowledge and experience to the role, especially his exposure to European and Global issues facing the recycling sector. His experience in the practical aspects of managing a diverse array of recycling assets including using new technology to recover as much material as possible from end of life products will assist us in our continuing dialogue with government and other stakeholders.

Beverage can body appoints new director general

Katarina Molin has joined the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) in Europe as its new director general.ACE UK represents leading beverage carton manufacturers, Elopak, SIG Combibloc and Tetra Pak, in ‘profiling the environmental credentials of cartons’.

Ms Molin, a Swedish national, has extensive policy and communications experience in the EU environmental arena. Before joining ACE, she worked as environmental strategy manager for Hewlett Packard, and as policy advisor and communications anager for the Association for the Sustainable Use and Recovery of Resources in Europe (Assurre). Prior to this, she worked on environmental issues in the European Parliament and in the European Environmental Bureau.

Erika Mink, ACE President, said: We are delighted that Katarina is joining us today. Her experience and expertise will undoubtedly benefit our association, reinforcing ACEs contribution to helping the EU realise its goals for a resource efficient and sustainable economy.

Ms Molin added: I am thrilled to be joining ACE. I look forward to engaging in the EU environmental debate on behalf of an industry that is committed to the responsible and efficient use of natural resources.