I joined The Royal Air Force at 16 as an Apprentice Aircraft Engineer and went on to serve on front-line squadrons for 9 years. During my service, I worked on various aircraft types including Jaguars, Harriers and Nimrods. I was stationed in Germany for 6 of those years, but I spent a lot of time on short-term detachments in several places around the world including: Ascension Island and the Falklands during and after the conflict. After leaving the RAF I joined British Aerospace as a Technical Instructor based in Saudi Arabia. I then had a few jobs before eventually moving up to Aberdeen to begin my career in the Oil & Gas Industry. During my O&G career I have lived and worked in several places around the world including Stavanger Norway for 3 years, Abu Dhabi in the UAE for 3 years, Singapore for 2.5 years and Vancouver Canada. I was a director of a global Offshore Survey Company for 14 Years and spent over 25 years in the industry. 
After leaving British Aerospace, I studied at university in Aberdeen for three years and earned a master’s degree in business.
During a downturn in the Oil & gas Industry in 2016/17, I decided to retire and support my wife who wanted to start her own retail business. We acquired a department store in Cheltenham and a mother & baby store in Evesham. This turned out to be a lot of hard work, and we quickly learnt how hard the retail sector is.
After lazing around for a few months, I wanted to get back into business and accepted a role as the MD of a Heat Treatment Company in Southport. I enjoyed my time there and we really enjoyed living in Southport.

How I got into Canning?
 After 3 years in Heat Treatment, in 2021 I was approached about taking the position of MD with Unimaq, after a protracted interview and negotiation process, I accepted the position and began my career in Canning. I worked very closely with the Founder and former owner of Unimaq, Berty De Jong, for a few years until sadly he became ill and was forced to retire. I then took the opportunity to acquire Unimaq at the start of 2026.

Why Unimaq
From my first visit and early discussions with Berty, I could see the business’s growth potential. It clearly needed a detailed strategy and some reorganisation to unlock that potential, but the opportunity was there. Like the rest of the industry, at Unimaq we faced some very difficult market conditions during my first three years with the business, and unfortunately, we were forced to downsize. However, we came through those challenges, and the business is now growing rapidly and going from strength to strength.

Career highlights  
The turnaround we have achieved at Unimaq is certainly one of my career highlights. I am also very proud of my military service, which I believe set me on the right path in life. If I hadn’t joined the RAF at such a formative age, I doubt I would have had the life and career I have enjoyed. Going to university as a mature student, after leaving school with few formal qualifications, is another highlight. At 65, I’m in the twilight of my career, but I remain highly driven and feel I still have a lot to offer—so long as I avoid looking in mirrors!

How I see the 2-piece industry
After only around four years in the industry, I still consider myself a newcomer, but I find the world of can making fascinating. Before joining Unimaq, I had no idea how complex it was. One observation is just how conservative and risk averse the can makers seem to be. I have direct experience of this whilst trying to introduce new technology, it clearly takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to get a new product adopted. 
Although the global scale of can making is enormous, as I travel around the world attending the various conferences and exhibitions, it feels like a small village to me. Everyone seems to know each other and seem to get on well regardless of role, Company or location, which is great.

Away from work life        
Family is important to me, as a husband, father of 3, stepfather of 2 and grandfather of 5 who are all located in different parts of the UK, it’s challenging to spend as much time as I would like with them all. I have recently moved to North Wales and in my spare time my wife and I are enjoying exploring the region which has some beautiful places to visit.
I’m not as active as I used to be, but I still enjoy the occasional round of golf, I’ve always got a long list of DIY jobs to do on my house which I enjoy. Aircraft have always been a passion of mine and I have started to learn to fly on a few occasions, but things (mainly work) has got in the way. Hopefully when I retire, I can finally get my PPL. I love tinkering with simple mechanical things and have recently purchased a small classic car and I’m currently enjoying working on that.