CLEAN ENERGY NEWS

Solarsense appoints new Commercial Director Ashley Wood as it looks to hold its own and double turnover

When Solarsense moved to Employee Ownership status earlier this year it was, for founder Stephen Barrett, a succession plan that put his vision for the company’s future and the people who worked for him ahead of a remunerative buy out. Now he’s recruited a new Commercial Director Ashley Wood to join the team to help him ensure that move is matched by growth and mastery in a market that is growing exponentially.

Ashley Wood has moved to Solarsense from the UK office of the global engineering company Osborn. Same job title and only 35 miles down the road from his old Chepstow base, but Wood is now in a very different type of corporate model and relishing its opportunities for growth.

“We were looking for someone to join us on the path we’ve forged, in the Employee Ownership Trust model we’ve created, and with the ambitions we share here,” says the company’s founder and MD Stephen Barrett.

“Ashley Wood recognised and embraced that. He has clearly always been hands on where he has worked and brings an enormous amount of expertise and financial insight to our table,” adds Barrett. “He knows as we do that making money matters – that it fuels positive growth – but also has bought into our plan to be a force for good while creating a sustainable, strong livelihood for our team.”

“In the current climate it’s easy to put the focus on the number at the bottom right-hand side of the spread sheet, but if that becomes the only focus businesses can end up serving investors or cutting costs and compromising what they set out to do,” says Ashley Wood.

“When I first sat down with Stephen I knew this was a different model. It felt dead on target, combining corporate positivity with a clear plan for growth and a strong view on how everyone in the company can be a part of it. And you can see from the get-go how everyone is engaged and rewarded for their input. And their results – best ever half year trading figures earlier this year – are stunning.”

Wood says his priority is to ensure this ethically grounded Employee Ownership Trust trust can hold its own in a fast-growing market. “All businesses have to know there are others who can do what they do, so our solution and offer has to be exemplary, and our service second to none. I am ambitious to double turnover, and to help Stephen nurture the depth of knowledge and skills he has on the team to make that happen.”