InfraStrata plc (AIM: INFA), the UK quoted company focused on strategic infrastructure projects and physical asset life-cycle management, is pleased to announce that it has appointed a new management team for its wholly-owned subsidiary, Harland & Wolff (Belfast) Limited ("Harland & Wolff").
In addition, a new wholly owned subsidiary of Harland & Wolff (Belfast) Limited has been incorporated, Harland & Wolff Technical Services Limited. This business will incorporate all the Company's engineering functions internally, as well as serving external clients globally.
Highlights
- The new team has significant technical and commercial experience of operating facilities similar to Harland & Wolff and of securing and delivering contracts in the energy infrastructure, ship repair & conversion, offshore, fabrication, defence and recycling sectors
- The team is now installed and has commenced the business' first contract, as announced on 6 December 2019 with the docking of Sea Trucks Performance vessel on 21 December 2019
- Harland and Wolff (Belfast) Ltd & InfraStrata are now formally revenue generating
- New appointments to Harland & Wolff (Belfast) Limited include: a) John Petticrew as Managing Director - decades of management experience and most recently Vice President Operations at Seaspan Shipyard in Vancouver which has 2,000 employees; b) Paul Blake as Operations Director - previously Head of Projects at ASRY (Arab Shipbuilding & Repair YardCo) in Bahrain; c) Stephen Mills and Mark Giles as Sales Directors, with substantial experience of securing contracts across a range of targeted sectors from around the world
- The Company is currently finalising the appointment of a new Commercial and Business Development Director
John Wood, Interim Chairman and CEO of InfraStrata, said:
"The establishment of a dedicated management team headed up by John Petticrew, at Harland & Wolff is a significant milestone for InfraStrata. Their combined experience of delivering and securing projects at large-scale fabrication facilities around the world means that our new business division is poised for an exciting period of growth. It also means that the Board is well positioned to maintain its focus on our flagship Islandmagee Gas Storage project. It was a pleasure to have been in the yard this weekend to witness the first docking since we acquired the facility on 04 December 2019. Additionally, discussions with the Spanish shipbuilder, Navantia continue to progress at pace after the execution of the Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") with them. I am excited about the future of this iconic business and am confident that we can return the Harland & Wolff brand to its former glory."
Managing Director - John Petticrew
John Petticrew has decades of experience running fabrication and ship-building facilities around the world. Until recently, he was Vice President Operations at Seaspan Shipyard in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Petticrew had 2,000 employees reporting into him with five divisional directors. In this role, John implemented the national shipbuilding strategy for Canada, building six vessels for the Navy and Coast Guard. Prior to this, John was the Vice President of Engineering for Seaspan, Technical Director for Gulf Marine Services and the Senior Project Director for Lamprell Energy Limited and held the position of New Building Manager for Dubai Dry Docks. Commencing his career in 1987, John spent a decade at Saint John Ship Building, serving as Superintendent and Production Manager. He has a wealth of experience across fabrication, oil & gas, defence, ship repair and vessel construction.
Operations Director - Paul Blake
Until recently Mr. Blake was the Head of Projects at ASRY (Arab Shipbuilding & Repair YardCo) in Bahrain. Prior to this, he held the position of Project Manager at Grand Bahamas Shipyard, specialising in cruise vessel upgrades. Paul also held posts as Director and General Manager at Atlantic & Peninsula Pty Ltd in Australia and the General Manager/Ship Repair Director at Topaz Energy & Marine in Dubai.
Sales Directors - Stephen Mills and Mark Giles
Stephen Mills and Mark Giles are proven sales executives with decades of experience across all these sectors. They have dealt with some of the largest blue-chip clients globally and bring with them a deep understanding of the business as well as key contacts that will lead to additional revenue generation and enhanced monetization of Harland & Wolff.