Oilfield technology inventor Ben van Bilderbeek has stepped down as chief executive of Plexus, the oil and gas engineering services business he launched in Aberdeen in 1985.
Plexus said its 76-year-old founder had retired as CEO and moved to the role of non-executive chairman.
Jeff Thrall who has been chairman since 2012, will stay on the board as a non-executive director.
Craig Hendrie, who has been with Plexus for more than 25 years, including 19 as technical director, is now CEO of the Alternative Investment Market-listed company.
Plexus’ finance boss steps down too
In addition, after 19 years with the firm, Graham Stevens has retired as finance director and stepped down from the board.
He is replaced in the boardroom by Mike Park, previously a director and financial controller of subsidiary Plexus Ocean Systems (POS) and now group chief financial officer.
Mr van Bilderbeek and Mr Stevens are staying on as full-time employees of the company for six months to “assist the new board as required”.
Meanwhile, Anastasio (Stas) van Bilderbeek – the founder’s son – has been appointed as an executive director. He is responsible for “engagement with existing and prospective shareholders as well as assisting with, and implementing, company strategy and business development”.
Plexus’s Pos-Grip technology now used around the world
Plexus and its founder are best known for their innovative Pos-Grip technology, a friction-grip method of sealing wellheads and connectors under high pressure and high temperatures.
The company has its roots in the North Sea oil and gas industry but now operates globally from headquarters in Worthing, West Sussex. Its City flotation came in 2005.
Its new CEO played a key role in the development, testing and analysis of the original Pos-Grip products. More recently, he has been involved in day-to-day activities as a director of Aberdeen-based POS.
Mr Hendrie said: “I am immensely proud and grateful for the opportunity to step up to become CEO of Plexus and congratulate my fellow board members, Mike Park and Stas van Bilderbeek, on their appointments.
“We look forward to updating the market with our goals and strategic plans in the coming months.
“Ben has always been a passionate innovator at heart.” Craig Hendrie, CEO, Plexus
“Ben van Bilderbeek has had a remarkable career and his contribution as the founder of Plexus and inventor of our proprietary Pos-Grip method of engineering is immense.
“Ben has always been a passionate innovator at heart. He has led the company through various challenges and opportunities – such as industry downturns, Russian sanctions and the Covid pandemic.
“He has always remained confident in the company and its technology, and continued to personally back it at every opportunity.”
Mr Hendrie added: “Ben has always emphasised the importance of making oil and gas production greener and safer. He has been a long term advocate of leak-free, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and net-zero-friendly practices even before they became mainstream.
“This approach has been at the heart of Plexus for 40 years.”
Plexus’ founder worked in a variety of senior engineering and management roles in the oil and gas industry before launching his own business in the mid-1980s. In 2013 he was named entrepreneur of the year at the Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards in London.
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