Bill Griffiths is understood to be leaving his role as Viridor’s national organics & recycling manager today (1 April), while Graeme Milne has also departed as sales manager for Scotland.
Bidding farewell after 11 years at Viridor, Mr Griffiths said he would be undertaking “a new venture in the world of resource management”.
He is expected to join Stobart Energy, which has been ramping-up its waste wood business in recent years and is now thought to be the UK’s largest supplier of waste wood biomass energy feedstock, as a number of new biomass energy plants in the UK begin operations over the next two years (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mr Griffiths told former colleagues in an email: “May I take this opportunity to thank all my Viridor colleagues, local authority partners, 3rd party contractors, trade bodies and regulators for some great times and many significant successes during my 11 years with Viridor driving up recycling rates, adding value to waste and delivering environmental benefits.”
Meanwhile Mr Milne – who headed-up Viridor’s UK waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling division – departed after 12 years at the company on 4 March, commenting that he was a “proud (ex) boss trying not to be emotional” and that “kind words from so many colleagues and customers have been overwhelming”.
Katalyst
He will now focus on his new company Katalyst Business Consulting, based in Perth, Scotland, which specialises in zero waste, procurement, planning and WEEE services in the UK and Europe.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com he said: “It has been on my mind that I would like to do something on my own two feet and when the changes at Viridor were announced in February I thought I would take the opportunity to do something.”
“As part of any restructure, affected colleagues will move to new roles or take new challenges outside the business.”
Simon Catford
Human resources & regulatory director, Viridor
As well as overseeing Viridor’s WEEE operations nationwide, Mr Milne was also a key decision maker on the company’s work in his native Scotland, where he had responsibility for sales, strategic business and client services. Much of this responsibility is now expected to move to the company’s director of sales and marketing Tracy Burtwell, who joined Viridor in January 2015.
In a statement Viridor thanked the two departing staff members for their work and wished them well for the future.
Viridor
The departures come after parent company Pennon Group’s announcement in February that, wary of falling domestic recycling rates, is preparing to consolidate Viridor’s recycling sites in a bid to make more “effective” use of the firm’s assets and save an estimated £9 million (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commenting on the two staff departures, Simon Catford – human resources & regulatory director at Viridor – said: “In 2014 Viridor announced its strategy and purpose focused on driving growth through investment, transforming waste and giving the world’s resources new life. In February of this year we announced a new operating model to meet the needs of current and future market conditions, and to provide a platform for growth in line with strategic ambitions.
“As part of any restructure, affected colleagues will move to new roles or take new challenges outside the business. We thank those colleagues, including Bill and Graeme, for their contributions and wish them well moving forward.”
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