Robotics specialist Sewtec appoints new heads of finance and business support to drive growth plans

Lizzie Hay joins the high technology company as head of finance, from kitchen manufacturer and supplier Howdens Joinery where she was financial planning and accounts manager. Prior to that she held roles as finance director at tailored clothing company Stuncroft, financial controller at global real estate developer Scarborough Group International and chartered accountant at accountancy firm Baker Tilly.

New head of business support, Mark Atkins, has joined Sewtec after providing the company with HR consultancy services for four years via his own consultancy, Atkins HR. With 20 years’ experience, he has worked in a variety of private and public sector roles, including director of people and talent for training provider Babington Group and assistant director at Sheffield Homes.

Based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, Sewtec designs and manufactures factory automation systems for global blue-chip clients in the food, pharmaceutical, personal care and tobacco industries. More than 85 per cent of its sales are to export markets. Lizzie and Mark’s appointments follow a successful management buyout (MBO) in August last year.

In the first three months of 2018, Sewtec secured £10m of orders from customers based in the UK, Ireland and USA whilst creating eight new engineering, manufacturing and sales roles in the process.

The company anticipates doubling the number of highly skilled engineering and manufacturing jobs over the next five years, which would see Sewtec’s workforce growing to more than 120 people.

Welcoming Lizzie and Mark to the company, Sewtec managing director, Mark Cook, said: “For us to achieve our growth plans, we need a senior management team that is both ambitious and highly capable.

“Lizzie and Mark have these qualities in abundance and are experts in their respective fields of finance and HR. Their experience and knowledge will be fundamental in enabling our continued expansion as we seek to enhance efficiencies, further improve our processes and recruit and retain many more highly skilled people to the Sewtec family.”

Sewtec’s MBO was backed by Leeds headquartered private equity firm Endless. The company’s management team of technical director Gary Day, controls director Karl Conqueror and sales director Paul Johnson led the buyout.