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Our specialists

Kitsons’ key strength is our people. With experts in a multitude of disciplines and sectors, you’re in safe hands.

Industrial & Energy

Andy Cruickshank

National Sales Director - Industrial & Energy

Andy has worked for SIG and Kitsons for 32 years in various roles, including: Storeman, Driver, Area Sales Manager, Industrial Manager, Regional Industrial Manager and National Industrial Manager.

He has gained experience in each role and understands how support at every level is crucial to Kitsons’ service offering.

Andy’s role is looking after the heavy industrial market, including Power Generation & Renewables, Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Petrochemical & Process sectors.

His team work with the major national contractors within these industries and are seen as technical experts within the industry as a whole.

Energy and sustainability are at the forefront of our industry, and so both Andy’s team and Kitsons are committed to supporting and servicing the industry as it evolves and transforms.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07767408837

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Fire Protection

Andy Gibbs

Regional Sales Manager South - Fire Protection

Andy has been in the construction industry for over 32 years, and brings a wealth of experience.

After becoming a qualified joiner, Andy also spent 6 years working on major construction projects. Andy also has experience working at a Builders Merchant in the National Sales Department, where he dealt with Civils, Housebuilders and Groundwork projects.

Andy has been with SIG for 20 years in a wide variety of roles. Specialising in Insulation and Drywall Construction Accessories, Andy worked as a Branch Manager before moving on to 3 years in SIG’s National Accounts Team as Strategic Business Partner with Tier 1 Accounts.

More recently, Andy has worked as National Major Projects Manager for Fire Protection before his current role of Regional Sales Manager for the South in Fire Protection which he has held for the past 3 years.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07725924594

 

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HVAC & Industrial

David James

HVAC & Industrial Consultant – Midlands & North West

David started working in the construction industry in 2010, working as a sales executive for a mechanical and electrical (M&E) compliance company, moving into M&E contracting in 2012 before working in distributing in 2016 with electrical suppliers.

David then joined SIG and Kitsons in 2019 as an M&E specialist, working with Tier 1 contractors for the north of the UK.

In 2021 he joined the Technical Insulation (TI) team and took on the role of HVAC & Industrial Consultant in the North West and Midlands. His role has now grown to include numerous other branches and supporting the TI team in a wider role.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07966633582

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Fire Protection

Eve Rutherford

Fire Protection Consultant for the North

Eve has extensive technical and sales expertise in the specialised field of fire protection. As a Business Development Manager at companies like Elite Fire Stop and TECL, she excels in identifying critical fire protection requirements for ongoing and upcoming projects.

At Kitsons and SIG her role encompasses conducting fire compartmentation surveys and devising comprehensive technical proposals that adhere to rigorous regulatory standards.

In addition to her technical responsibilities, Eve takes charge of lead generation, estimates, strategic planning, market expansion, sales operations, B2B presentations, contract negotiations, account management, and customer service.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07974599070

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HVAC

Helene Smith

Business Development Manager - HVAC

Helene started in the insulation industry in 1991 after a brief spell in the travel industry. Helene began her career at Kitsons Insulation Products at the Heathrow/Colnbrook branch where she stayed for just over 3 years.

From there Helene went to Sheffield Insulations at Uxbridge as internal sales moving up to team leader and moving to our flagship Ruislip branch, where she worked for 8 years in total before leaving to join Isover insulation on the HVAC side of the business for a further 8 years. Helene then moved within the Saint Gobain group to join Jewson selling to their housebuilder customers for a further 3 years.

Helene then left this position to join Velux for 2 years, followed by Protektor UK  for 2 years before returning to SIG, distribution and HVAC.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07814071794

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HVAC

Jon Strickland

Business Development Manager - South West & South Wales

Jon has been in the insulation industry for over 9 years. He began his career in 2014 as a Sales Co-ordinator at Ainsworth Insulation, an independent distributor specialising in HVAC and Technical Insulation. A few months after joining he was promoted to joint Branch Manager, and a year later began his career at SIG sollowing its acquisition of the Ainsworth Group.

Jon continued with Ainsworth/SIG and helped the branch grow to have their best year ever, until their eventual merge with the SIG Filton branch in 2019.

In January 2020 Jon went on loan to Encon Insulation when an opportunity arose to become a Technical Insulation Business Unit Manager. During his time, he helped oversee a steady growth of sales during the pandemic, where he forged strong relationships with many customers and suppliers in the industry.

Jon returned to SIG and Kitsons towards the end of 2022 as Business Development Manager in the South West & South Wales for Technical Insulation, looking after a portfolio from varying sectors including HVAC, Marine, Industrial and OEMs.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07890919311

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Industrial & Energy

Rob Alexander

National BDM – Industrial & Energy

Rob started at Kitsons in 1996 as holiday cover for only 8 weeks as a driver, quickly gaining knowledge of HVAC products, stock, customers, and the specific requirements of offshore sites.

Following this Rob joined Kitsons permanently in an Internal Sales role, putting his computer skills to use as the business brought in new systems. Rob’s role moved fast as he worked the trade counter, managed stocking, invoicing, purchasing, credit control, and deliveries.

Following Kitsons acquisition by SIG, Rob worked in the industrial sales team at Bridge of Don, progressing to Sales Office Manager for Technical Insulation, then Brand Manager. In the last 6 years Rob looks after major/national accounts as Business Development Manager in the heavy industrial business along with Andy Cruickshank.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07754088454

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