BMRA member Ward has appointed Jim Wainwright as General Manager for Waste and Logistics. Based out of Ward’s Ilkeston site, the General Manager role will cover all five of Ward’s metal recycling and waste management processing plants, with cradle to grave responsibility for drivers, vehicles and waste processing facilities. This new role represents a key hire, helping Ward streamline its operations and set the motions in place for further strategic growth. 

Mr. Wainwright, who has nearly 30 years waste management industry expertise and was previously General Manager at Veoila, said of his appointment: “I’m already loving it at Ward. It was a culture shock at first, moving from such a large organisation to a smaller family business, but that’s what is exciting. I love the can-do attitude of the whole team, the pace and the ability to make a positive impact in a short space of time. I’m looking forward to helping Ward grow by bringing some more corporate and structured ideas around transport, sales and recycling, while still retaining the family values that the business was founded on.”

James Balfour, Finance Director at Ward, added: “Ward has grown from a 30 strong family business to a staff of over 300 and a fleet of nearly 100 vehicles in a relatively short space of time. We acknowledge that to achieve the next level of growth we’ll need some cultural, organisational and procedural change, plus further development of our people. We started to look for someone with a corporate background who could assist us and Jim more than fits the bill. It’s a pleasure to welcome him to the Ward team.”