Latest appointments see CoolKit team grow by 25%

The latest round of appointments made by CoolKit - which range from shopfloor to senior management - have increased the overall headcount by a quarter.

As part of the management restructure, which began 12 months ago, a further experienced and highly skilled layer of managers has been appointed to help oversee the temperature-controlled van specialist's rapid growth. 

Last year, founder Rupert Gatty became chief executive; finance director Daniel Miller was appointed managing director; Mike Scappaticci as sales director; and Joe Gleave as operations director. Long-serving Gill Hayes remained HR and finance manager. 

Now, Georgina Grice, has been recruited as head of people; Mark Billows as health safety environmental and facilities manager; Stephen Bond as operations manager; and Susan Kenyon as quality manager. 

The widescale recruitment has come at the same time as  CoolKit continues to experience significant growth in its order bank.  

A major boost has seen a major high street supermarket chain agree a deal for 200 van conversions while another major contract hire and leasing company is looking for up to 100 electric temperature-controlled vehicles. 

Last July, when CoolKit suffered a disastrous fire at its main manufacturing unit in Burnley it employed around 100. But 10 months later after implementing a master recovery plan – including sourcing and moving to much larger premises in Blackburn while still retaining some production at a second unit in Burnley – 125 employees are on now on the books plus 10 agency workers. 

Daniel Miller, managing director, said: “Our new premises give us so much more potential for growing the business. We are not a small business anymore and we need specialist people in specialist positions who are focused entirely on their aspect of the operation. 

“I want us to be more visible to customers and I want us somehow to be generating inquiries as the outcome of that visibility. We are the UK’s leading temperature-controlled van converters and I want us to increasingly build on that.”