Industry

Sudden resignation sees McAulay depart as Viridor CEO

Sudden resignation sees McAulay depart as Viridor CEO Ian McAulay has stepped down as CEO of waste and resources management company Viridor with immediate effect, with a brief statement from the company saying that he has left to ‘pursue other opportunities’.

McAulay, who has been at the helm of the company for three years, has also resigned from the board of Viridor’s parent company the Pennon Group, in a departure that had not been spoken about publicly until this morning’s announcement.

The statement confirmed that McAulay leaves Viridor ‘on track to meet management expectations for 2016/17’.

A new CEO will not be appointed in response to McAulay’s departure. Instead, Chief Operating Officer of Viridor’s energy division Phil Piddington has been promoted to the position of Managing Director and will report to Chris Loughlin, CEO of Pennon.

Piddington had held his previous role since the energy division’s formation in 2014. Prior to that, he spent almost 20 years in the energy industry, including roles with the RWE Npower and BP. In addition to his role at Viridor, he is also Vice President of the Combined Heat & Power Association in the UK.

Sir John Parker, Non-Executive Chairman of Pennon, said: “We are delighted to welcome Phil as Managing Director of Viridor where his wealth of operational experience will be an asset to the company. I am pleased that the depth of talent within the group has resulted in our being able to fill this role from within the organisation.”

Evolution

In the brief statement on the Viridor website, McAulay said: “It has been my pleasure to be at the helm of Viridor for the last three years and I’m very proud of the transformation that has been achieved in that time. We have evolved rapidly from a predominantly landfill company with a local focus, to a sophisticated and centralised waste management, recycling and energy recovery firm with an extensive UK asset base.”

Phil Piddington will now lead Viridor as Managing Director
McAulay was made CEO of Viridor in September 2013 after a stint as Chief of Global Strategy and Corporate Development with the US-based MWH Global.

Reflecting on his time at Viridor, McAulay said: “Our £1.5 billion investment in ERF assets has been particularly successful and, despite many challenges along the way, we have led the way in the UK in bringing these assets into operation.

“We have also made great progress in improving business performance in recycling even in very difficult economic conditions and again stand in a good place to go forward.

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for helping to drive the business forward during my tenure to make Viridor one of the leading companies of its kind in the UK. We have created some great teams who are well placed to continue to deliver for future. The combination of the talents that existed in the company together with excellent new hires attracted from some of the world’s most recognised companies has been powerful.

“I would like to wish you and the company every success in future.”

Parker added: “The board would like to thank Ian for his valuable contribution to the company and wishes him every success.

More information about Viridor can be found on the company’s website.

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