John Wyatt
Managing Director
Prior to acquiring WH Kemp in 2012, John’s business career spanned 30 years in the City of London and in Continental Europe; specifically, Switzerland and Hungary. He successfully directed business units within a number of multinationals, in the consumer, retail and engineering sectors. Amongst the companies where John has worked are Wilkinson Sword, Swedish Match, Pharmacia and Tesco. He has also held the position of MD at various manufacturing SMEs. This wealth of business experience, in tandem with John’s personal and open management style, has proved invaluable at WH Kemp in cementing excellent customer and staff relationships. John also holds an MBA from CASS Business School.
Ron Cowley
Chairman
WH Kemp counts itself fortunate to be able to draw upon advice from someone harbouring Ron’s multi-faceted experience. A qualified engineer, Ron’s impressive 35-year business career comprises MD, CEO and Chairman positions at a number of world-class companies. His particular expertise in the aerospace, semi-conductor, oil and gas and defence engineering sectors, is synonymous with many industries WH Kemp supply. Widely acclaimed as an authority on Lean 6 Sigma, change management and organisational development, Ron’s success as a business improvement expert has helped WH Kemp build a platform of uncompromising customer service. Ron has an MBA from Bristol University.
Paul Hawkins
Head of Operations
Paul has held leadership positions in the Cable Assembly sector for 25 years and is one of WH Kemp’s longest serving employees. Throughout his career, he has managed the Company’s production, quality control and supply chain divisions. Paul leads WH Kemp’s drive for Continual Improvement and is an industry expert in Lean Manufacturing. Since graduating in Business Management, he continues to keep abreast of key sector-relevant developments by regularly attending courses and conferences, with the purpose of maintaining WH Kemp’s long-standing reputation for meeting customer expectations.
Vanessa Adey
Finance Manager
Another long-standing member – 20 years – of our management team, Vanessa is the beating heart of all things financial at WH Kemp. She leads an adept team which is responsible for anything from financial control and financial reporting to compliance matters. With 30 years of expertise to draw upon, both existing and potential customers can rest assured Vanessa has a firm grip on WH Kemp’s long term financial viability.
Claire Borovac
Quality Manager
Armed with a highly practical, science-oriented background, including a BSc in Chemistry, Claire joined WH Kemp almost 10 years ago. Our customers often comment on the reassurance Claire adds to WH Kemp’s offer, due to her 25 years’ experience in Quality Management within the scientific and engineering sectors. Claire’s knowledge of quality tools and their practical application is second to none. Her responsibilities at WH Kemp include working closely with customers, safeguarding their auditing requirements, and leading the Company’s ISO, AS, H&S and ES related projects. We can also count on Claire’s superb comprehension of chemical issues to contribute to our Potting and Encapsulation processes.
Bryan Doherty
Production Supervisor
After training as a Mechanical Engineer within the Army, Bryan spent several years project managing electro-mechanical assembly operations in the West of England. Bryan joined WH Kemp 12 years ago to oversee the company's machine sub assembly builds. Bryan has organised and supervised many projects undertaken by WH Kemp. In addition Bryan is key to training employees and working closely with customers and team leaders.
Hayley Pearce
Customer Service
Hayley works in customer service, specifically from the Company’s Production Office. She maintains close contact with our customers, ensuring their orders and requirements are on schedule and proceeding efficiently through the various stages of WH Kemp’s manufacturing process. With customer liaison and reassurance a top priority of WH Kemp, Hayley plays as big a part as anyone in keeping customers informed at all times.
David Bailey
Estimator & Design
David is another example of WH Kemp’s exemplary team loyalty. After 30 years working in all areas of the business, there’s not much he doesn’t know about the technical and intricate processes of manufacturing reliable box builds and cable assemblies. In acting as WH Kemp’s Commercial Manager, David liaises closely with our customers, preparing transparent competitive quotes and providing regular clear, sound advice. He is also responsible for WH Kemp’s New Product Introduction Process, ensuring all new business projects adhere to customers’ specific requirements.
Richard Tawn
Technical Engineer
Initially Richard trained and worked in the aerospace sector as a highly skilled wireman. For the past 6 years he has acted as WH Kemp’s Technical Engineer, with responsibility for ensuring all tooling, test equipment and machinery always remains in optimal condition. Richard’s specialist knowledge guarantees fault-free builds both at the testing stage and when in full production. He frequently advises WH Kemp’s customers on complex technical matters, especially during site visits.
Cilla Smith
Office Administrator
As WH Kemp’s Office Administrator, Cilla puts her excellent people skills to very good use, especially in acting as the first point of contact for many of our customers. With 20 years’ service at the Company, Cilla knows our business inside out and is well-placed to deal with a breadth of enquiries, including the complex ones. Her inherently welcoming nature and efficient manner, not only reassures customers, but also helps in her role of handling the Company’s internal people-related issues.
Ben Pothecary
Buyer
During his 15 years with WH Kemp, Ben has been responsible for several different functions. His breadth of knowledge regarding many aspects of our business therefore makes him an integral member of the team. In recent years, Ben’s focus has been as WH Kemp’s Buyer. He regularly assesses whether the business is holding the necessary materials and stock in order to complete customers’ orders efficiently and on time - a case of ensuring the right materials are in the right place at the right time. To that end, Ben works closely with not only customers, but also suppliers, production and our logistics team.
