Profiles

Celia Sharp BA (Hons), MICPR

Marketing Communications Executive

Celia is responsible for all internal and external marketing communications for Airedale.  She deals with the media at international, national and regional level through press releases, features and case studies. Celia is constantly striving to promote a positive corporate image to customers, distributors and even employees. It is this variety, combined with the buzz of seeing Airedale in print, sitting well on the page with good photos and the international aspect that Celia most enjoys about her job.

Kevin Makin LLb (Hons)

Quality Manager

Continuous Improvement (CI) is fundamental to success in today’s competitive markets. This ethos is perhaps even more acute in industrial manufacturing, where the plethora of processes, make continuous improvement a pre-requisite for success.  Kevin has a vast experience of delivering successful CI projects for blue chip English manufacturers.  He is a six sigma black belt and the designated Modine Production System coach for Airedale, he finds the training aspect of his role the most rewarding with a fresh batch of Green Belt candidates that he has recently finished mentoring.

Matt Thompson

Product Development Engineer (Electrical Design)

Matt joined Airedale straight from School as a modern apprentice. He has gained a wealth of manufacturing and design experience since, working in a variety of manufacturing positions, before his present role in product development began in 1999. Development is integral to a job at Airedale and Matt firmly believes that Airedale has provided him with plenty of development opportunities. He is currently working towards a BEng (Hons) in Electronics & Electrical Engineering from Leeds Metropolitan University, having gained numerous academic and vocational qualifications since joining Airedale such as a Foundation Degree - Engineering Technologies (Electrical).   

Mark Hargrave

Service Team Leader

“I relocated from Leicester to Yorkshire almost 15 years ago when I joined Airedale as Technical Support Engineer. I came with 15 years air conditioning experience in both contracting and distribution, and relished the challenge of working within a manufacturing environment.

I have since been rewarded with a number of internal promotions. In my current position of Service Team Leader I am responsible for the day to day activities of a growing team of national Service Technicians as well as management of a busy office based team.

I find that working for a manufacturer allows me to have a direct input into the development of new and existing products whilst being at the cutting edge of new advancements and technology.

Like all dedicated people at Airedale I regard my work more as a career than just a job”.

Catherine Ansari

Spares Team Leader

"I joined Airedale in 1991 as a Marketing Assistant aged 19. It was my first job from leaving college and helped me gain basic understanding of the Marketing/Advertising side of the business.

Within 3 years, I had been promoted and joined the Spares Dept, working in a very busy and demanding environment dealing direct with UK and International customers on a day-to-day basis.

Throughout my time at Airedale I have had many opportunities to further my career and received a wide range of training from Customer Communication Techniques to Basic Air Conditioning & Ref. Course Part 1.

I now run the Airedale Spares Division, ensuring all customers receive excellent Customer Service at all times and I still attend regular training, including the most recent NEBS Management Team Leader Course.

I consider myself very lucky to work at Airedale, especially after 16 years of constant support and excellent working conditions, I could not imagine myself working anywhere else".

Simon Thorburn BSc (Hons), CIMA

Finance Manager

In a commercial world with ever increasing regulatory pressure, Simon's role is to ensure that the monthly financial statements are submitted as accurately and efficiently as possible. As an American owned organisation, Simon has experienced heavy exposure to Sarbanes Oxley legislation since joining, this has given him knowledge of a part of accounting that will become even more prominent in the future.

Airedale has recently implemented SAP and Simon has been a key member, this has forced him and all the team to evaluate why any process is done and make them think through each step in order to generate a better and quicker way, rather than just trying to replicate the old way.   

Caroline Chappell BA (Hons)

HR Specialist

Caroline has been successful in a variety of roles since joining Airedale in 02, her career has taken her from administrative work to Human Resources. Caroline is now the first point of contact for HR enquiries, dealing with a range of employee issues including recruitment, grievances and disciplinary action.

“I really enjoy the variety in my work - no day is ever the same.  I gain great satisfaction from sorting out employee issues.  One of the parts of the job that I enjoy the most is recruitment and meeting different types of people from all walks of life.  

Airedale has given me some excellent opportunities since I started and with the training and development opportunities given to me by Airedale, I have been able to progress my career during my time at the company.“

One of the major changes that Caroline has witnessed at the company is the acquisition of Airedale by Modine in 05. “It proved an interesting and rewarding challenge to be involved from the start in the process of change at the company since Modine acquired Airedale and being given the opportunity to liaise with HR personnel from Modine. This has greatly enhanced my development and outlook in HR.

Michael Bentley B.Eng (Hons), FMM

Chiller Business Unit Manager

Michael's role is to manage the manufacturing, production planning and maintenance teams, his primary objective is to deliver products right first time, on time and within budget.  Michael is also part of the Modine management team involved in implementing the Modine Production System, which is adapted from the Toyota Production System.

His team consist of 10 different teams, which is the largest team he has managed to date and provides him with plenty of daily challenges. The sheer range of issues, Michael has to deal with makes everyday different and enjoyable.