January 19, 2010 — Robert H. Chapman, chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, announced the appointment of Simon Lagoe to the role of director for the company’s diversified U.K. operations, which includes six manufacturing facilities operated by five Barry-Wehmiller business units.
In addition, Lagoe will continue his role as managing director of the Nottingham, U.K., operation of HayssenSandiacre, a Barry-Wehmiller company specializing in vertical and horizontal form, fill, and seal technology and services.
Lagoe’s appointment follows the 2009 retirement of Stewart Brown, who contributed years of senior leadership experience to Barry-Wehmiller’s U.K. investments and other European interests.
“Upon Stewart’s retirement, I asked Simon, a longtime associate of Stewart and myself, to assume the U.K. director role that Stewart had held, while continuing his active leadership role in the Nottingham operation,” Chapman stated.
“As director of our U.K. operations, Simon plays an instrumental role in our endeavor to build a fabric of cooperation and knowledge between our U.K. entities.
This thread of oversight is of great value to our company, and Simon brings years of senior leadership experience to the position. I have personally worked with Simon for nearly 25 years, and I know he will make a valued contribution as did Stewart.” With nearly 30 years of experience in the European packaging equipment industry, Lagoe first joined Barry-Wehmiller in 1983 when the company acquired TI Fords of Bedford, U.K. TI Fords was later one of the businesses divested by Barry-Wehmiller in a successful IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 1987 in which the company spun-off its European operations to create Barry-Wehmiller International (BWI).
From 1987 to 1999, Lagoe served in a variety of directorship positions with the newly created BWI in Europe, during which time he worked closely with Chapman, who had accepted a seat on the BWI board of directors. In 2005, Lagoe joined Sandiacre Rose Forgrove, which was acquired by Barry-Wehmiller Companies in 2006 and integrated with Hayssen Packaging Technologies to form HayssenSandiacre. “I was delighted to find my career had come full circle and to be part of the Barry-Wehmiller family once again,” Lagoe said.
“Likewise, I was honored to be asked by Bob to fill the role of senior executive in the U.K. and to be able to contribute to the future of the business as a whole in addition to my ongoing responsibility as managing director of HayssenSandiacre Europe.” Dan Jones, president and CEO of HayssenSandiacre, commented, “With the 2006 Barry-Wehmiller acquisition of Sandiacre Rose Forgrove and subsequent integration into Hayssen, now HayssenSandiacre, Simon Lagoe’s appointment as managing director of HayssenSandiacre has been critical to HayssenSandiacre’s growth and continued investment in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Coincident with HayssenSandiacre’s strategic growth has been that of other Barry-Wehmiller divisions in the U.K. and throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Simon Lagoe’s 30 years of senior management experience within the European packaging industry provides outstanding credentials to expand his contributions to all Barry-Wehmiller U.K. operations with this appointment as a director.”
ABOUT BARRY-WEHMILLER
Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. is a diversified global supplier of engineering consulting and manufacturing technology solutions in packaging, corrugating, and paper converting across a broad spectrum of industries.
