Emtelle appoints Paul MacLaurin as its new Chief Operating Officer
Thursday 9th May 2022, Emtelle, the pioneering Scottish technology company, has appointed highly respected and experienced business leader Paul MacLaurin as its new Chief Operating Officer.
Paul joins Hawick-headquartered Emtelle, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of blown fibre cable and ducted network solutions, from Wavin, a global supplier of plastic pipe systems and solutions.
He spent 15 years in his former role, 11 of which as Manufacturing Director of South West Europe for the Orbia Group business. A member of Wavin’s senior operations team, he was responsible for the strategic direction and performance in manufacturing, engineering, technical and health and safety across 10 sites in the UK, Ireland, France and Turkey.
His tenure saw a number of notable successes. These include comprehensive business reviews of Wavin France and the UK and Ireland, positioning the organisation for investment and enhanced profitability, as well as the establishment of a new benchmark in health and safety performance and culture across the region, and initiatives to deliver sustained service excellence.
Other previous roles include senior manufacturing and technical positions in fine chemicals and FMCG with Astra Zeneca, Mars, and Yule Catto. A graduate of University of Hull, with a First Class BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, he also achieved a PhD from the University of Plymouth and is a Chartered Chemist.
Paul MacLaurin said: “I am delighted to be joining Emtelle at a key moment, and am looking forward to working with everyone at the company as it approaches the next stage of its development. Emtelle as a brand is well-known and admired throughout the world, and I hope to be able to guide the business to even greater success.”
Paul replaces Billy Rae, a respected member of Emtelle’s senior management team for more than 15 years who has served as Chief Operating Officer for the past six. He has been with the company for nearly three decades in total and has been a significant contributor to Emtelle’s success. He will be moving to a new role as Manufacturing Technology and Business Expansion Director, working closely with Chief Executive Officer Tony Rodgers on growing and developing Emtelle’s business over the coming years.
Billy was a key player in Emtelle’s acquisition and conversion of its German facility and most recently he has played a role in the acquisition of the Middle East operations of Afripipes. The takeover expanded Emtelle’s manufacturing capability and capacity, as well as improving its security of supply to customers around the world.
He is currently heavily involved in Emtelle’s capacity expansion in Wrexham UK, as well as a strategic project in North America with the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Fletcher, North Carolina. The US move sees Emtelle take up residence in 300,000 sq ft of factory space owned by Mainetti Retail Solutions, creating up to 200 jobs.
Billy Rae said: “I am very much looking forward to my new role as Manufacturing Technology and Business Expansion Director, working closely with Tony to further expand the Emtelle brand around the world. Emtelle has put Scotland on the map in terms of delivering a cutting-edge, modern technology business in the Borders, I have had the pleasure of being part of that journey since the very beginning and I now look forward to increasing our business growth and success in the years ahead.”
Tony Rodgers, Chief Executive of Emtelle, said: “I am delighted that Paul has joined the senior management team of Emtelle, in what is proving to be another fantastic year of growth. The highlight so far has been our expansion into North America. After working with Billy for nearly 10 years, I am looking forward to continuing that relationship further where we will focus on further expanding our expertise and products to new markets and countries.”
