Desoutter has exciting news to share, with two new internal appointments. Darren Blackshaw will be the new Service BLM for Desoutter UK, and Michael Heath will move to the US and be the new BLM for Desoutter Service in North America. We had a chat with them both to learn more about their new roles.
Congratulations on your new role, Darren. Can you tell us a little bit about what it entails? “Thank you, as Service BLM for Desoutter UK, I will be responsible for driving the continued growth in the aftermarket business, supporting, and leading the team to be the service partner of choice across all sectors. Supporting our customers’ unique requirements with our innovative technologies that are required today and anticipated tomorrow.”
Darren joined Desoutter in 2017 and has worked in both new product sales and service sales. He believes his prior background in manufacturing engineering helps build a good understanding with customers and the challenges and constraints they face.
What excites you the most about your new role? “I am really excited about the challenges that this role will provide, and the potential for professional development. The team in the UK is fantastic and I am looking forward to continuing to develop the high-performance culture and the potential impact that I can make. For me, every day is an opportunity to contribute to the growth of the company and be the best that I can be.”
For Michael, it’s not just a of change of job roles, but also a change from the UK to the US. He will be the Business Line Manager for Desoutter Service in North America, leading the team in developing the service business. With a focus on proactive maintenance and software/consultancy services and collaborating with the product business lines to deliver more integrated service solutions. Michael will be responsible for the overall profit and loss of the service business in NA, as well as developing the team and ensuring that they have the right strategy and mind-set to capture their full potential.
We spoke to Michael to find out more about his move to the US and what he’s the most excited about with his new adventure.
What inspired you to pursue this role? “After a successful three-year period in my current role where I am responsible for the service business line in the UK and Ireland, it felt like the right time to look for a new role with different challenges and opportunities. Although the role is similar to my current position the opportunity in North America is huge and is an extremely important driver for growth in the division globally for the next three-year strategy period, and I am confident that we can achieve a lot during this time.”
What excites you most about your new role? “Meeting my colleagues in the service and product lines as well as our customers in North America, as the opportunity to meet and learn from new people is always something that excites me. Whilst both countries are English speaking there are clear cultural differences with such a massive geography, and I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the different opportunities and challenges that this will bring.”
Mark Taylor, General Manager, Desoutter UK&I said: “As we continue to evolve our organisation it gives me great pleasure to announce Darren Blackshaw as our new BLM Aftermarket and Operations, taking over from Michael Heath who now moves to the US Customer Centre as BLM Aftermarket. Michael leaves behind a well-structured, focused team and very sustainable business which I know Darren will continue to grow and evolve. I would like to say thank you to Michael from all the UK team for everything he has done to help drive the business forward and I am sure he will make a great success in growing the US business in the same way, and good luck to Darren in his new role.”
We wish them both the best of luck on their new adventures!