Finning appoint new director of Equipment Solutions

Jason Howlett to focus on UK and Ireland growth strategy as Gary Agnew heads over to Canada

FINNING UK & Ireland have appointed Jason Howlett as their new director of Equipment Solutions, strengthening the drive for growth overseen by previous director Gary Agnew, who is taking on the role of vice-president of Customer Solutions with Finning Canada.

Having worked at Finning since 2008, Mr Howlett is set to strengthen the company’s position in key markets in UK and Ireland, while building upon the successful uplift in general equipment sales achieved though the dual Finning and Caterpillar compact dealer strategy.

Commenting on the focus for Finning in 2013, Mr Howlett said: ‘We have a huge reach in the industry, thanks to the shear scale of the Cat equipment range. But for Finning, it is about giving a sector-by-sector service that is tailored to meet the needs of a whole range of customers.

‘Increasingly, we see customers recognizing the value of a supplier that can provide both new and used equipment options combined with technology, finance, rental and managed service solutions. No matter how large or small the customer is, we will be able to combine the Finning nationwide service reach with a range of offerings that deliver profitable growth for our customers.’

Commenting on the change, Neil Dickinson, managing director of Finning, said: ‘2013 is going to be an interesting year, where both our Equipment Solutions and Power Systems divisions come together, with our recent acquisitions, to offer the most complete solutions for the markets in which we work.

‘When Gary Agnew took on the director of Equipment Solutions job role two-and-a-half years ago, our business was going through a real change. In this time he has delivered some great results and demonstrated a significant contribution to the UK business.

‘Finning Canada will be gaining a high-performance leader in Gary, who will be able to use his expertise to deliver growth in the Canadian market.

‘By promoting from within and having a key team member like Jason Howlett, who has been working alongside Gary for some time, we will have the continuity of strategy and passion that we need in the business.

‘Jason is bringing a strong set of skills, knowledge and experience into the director of Equipment Solutions position, and his appointment is going to considerably benefit this company.’