Directorate Change

RNS Number : 3550I

Solid State PLC

10 March 2010

 



SOLID STATE PLC

("Solid State" or the "Company")

Directorate change

Solid State a leading supplier of battery products, specialist electronic components and industrial computers is pleased to announce that Mr. John L Macmichael, Commercial Director, aged 48, has been appointed as Managing Director of the specialist electronic components division Solid State Supplies Limited, with effect from 1^st April 2010. 

In addition, the Company is pleased to announce that, Mr. Anthony B. Frere, aged 62, has been appointed as Non-executive Director with effect from 1^st April 2010.

Gary Marsh currently Group Managing Director and Managing Director of Solid State Supplies Ltd will now focus on the corporate development of the Group in his new role as Chief Executive Officer.

Following graduation John Macmichael worked as a development engineer for GEC Telecommunications before moving into applications engineering and ultimately sales at the electronic component distributor Steatite Ltd.  John's career continued with worldwide responsibility for sales as International Sales Manager with Comlinear Corporation, a manufacturer of high speed analogue devices in the United States, before returning to the UK to establish the UK operation for Comlinear.  Following the purchase of Comlinear by National Semiconductor John joined Breckenridge Technologies as Managing Director to lead the sales and design-in activity on behalf of National Semiconductor and Fairchild Semiconductor.  Latterly John moved back into distribution joining Solid State Supplies in March 2006 firstly as Business Development Manager before being promoted to Commercial Director. 

Tony Frere entered the electronics industry in 1970 as Chief Buyer for Lexor Electronics in Coventry.  After 4 years he was promoted to Sales Manager and completed a 2 year course in Sales and Marketing at Warwick University.  In January 1980 he joined Vanderhoff Communications as Sales Manager of the components division selling to the telecommunications, broadcast and computing markets.

In 1982 he joined the country's largest distributor of electronic components ESD, a company owned by STC covering the top 50 customers in the West Midlands as a Senior Accounts Manager.  These customers included GPT, ICL, and GEC giving him the opportunity of understanding the world of distribution in electronic components.

After 3 years he was offered a Directorship with his previous company Vanderhoff Communications and worked in the role of Sales Director until 1988.

Along with two others Frere formed DT Electronics in 1988, setting up as a niche distributor of specialised electronic components for the broadcast and telecoms markets.  As Managing Director of DT he was involved in all aspects of the business and grew the company from its starting point to a turnover of £18.7m by 2006.  The company was bought by Nu Horizons Electronics a United States NASDAQ listed company in August 2006 and in a 3 year deal ending December 2009 the company achieved a turnover of $40m.  Frere left Nu Horizons at the end of December 2009.

Tony Frere has sat on the council of the Association of Franchised Distributors of Electronic Components AFDEC for the last 6 years and is now member of the Executive/ Strategic Board of ecsn the electronic component supply network.

Commenting on the appointments Gary Marsh, Chief Executive Officer, stated:

"John has a thorough understanding of all aspects of multiple sales channels operating within the electronics industry, having worked with and managed distributors and rep companies both directly and indirectly as part of the OEM sales channel.  John's international experience has allowed him to gain insight into different working practices and techniques allowing him to draw on a wide range of examples of best practice.  This experience coupled with the knowledge he has gained over the past 4 years at Solid State Supplies means he is ideally placed take the Company forward in his new role as Managing Director".  

"Tony brings with him a wealth of experience from his time in the electronics industry, most recently building DT Electronics into one of the UK's leading specialist electronic component distributors.  His expertise will enable us to develop our strategy as we aim to become the UK's leading supplier of battery products, specialist electronic components and industrial computers." 

"In addition to these changes to the main board we are strengthening our senior management team with the promotion of Jonathan Jackson to Operations Director of Steatite Ltd from 1^st April 2010.  Jonathan will oversee the expansion of our manufacturing and assembly facility in Redditch during 2010."

"Together these changes will give us a platform for growth as we seek to expand our business both organically and through complementary acquisitions in FY10/11." 

Details of directorships that Mr. Macmichael holds or has held in the previous five years are given below:

Current directorships:

Solid State Supplies Limited

Vail Aspiration Limited

Drawpine Residents Association Limited

Past directorships:

Breckenridge Technologies Limited

System Robotic Limited

Core Components Limited

Mr. Macmichael was a Director of the following companies on dissolution (affected via a strike-off), on the date shown below:

Core Components Limited                                         April 2009

Breckenridge Technologies Limited                           December 2008

Breckenridge Logistics Limited                                  August 2008

Moviepoint Limited      (non trading)                            January 2007

Muvibank Limited        (non trading)                            January 2007

Cinepoint Limited        (non trading)                            January 2007

Details of directorships that Mr. Frere holds or has held in the previous five years are given below:

Current directorships:

Cawston Computing UK Limited

Past directorships:

DT Electronics Limited

Nu Horizons Electronics Limited

Breckenridge Technologies Limited

Save for the declarations above there is no further information to be disclosed in respect of the appointments of Mr. Macmichael and Mr. Frere under Rule 17 or Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

10 March 2010

Enquires:

Gary Marsh                             01892 839310

Chief Executive

Charles Stanley Securities     020 7149 6000

Nominated Adviser

Russell Cook / Jen Boorer

 

END

 

 

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