This is a return to his native Wales for Andy after 12 years in senior commercial, operational and financial roles in Canada with S&P500-listed machinery and equipment manufacturing giant Manitowoc. Previous to that he cut his financial teeth in Bristol with the retailer Somerfield and in Cardiff with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Andy will be responsible for managing financial resources at the port, deemed the country’s energy capital handling 43 million tonnes of cargo each year with a throughput of around a fifth of the UK’s energy products. As well as establishing a clear financial strategy, he will play a key role in determining and delivering overall business strategy.
Alec Don, chief executive of Milford Haven Port, said: “We are delighted to have Andy on board. We need a strong financial performance in order to have the capacity to re-invest in port activities, and that is why it’s critical we recruit people of Andy’s calibre.
“As a port, Milford Haven is pre-eminent in terms of the amount of energy it handles – its natural harbour, deep water, infrastructure and efficiencies from being able to accommodate very large ships make it a vital strategic asset. These attributes place it well for the future, with scope to participate in the expansion of the renewable energy, transport and tourism industries.”
Commenting on his new post, Andy added: “I’m very much looking forward to applying some of the experience I’ve gained over the past 20 years to a challenging role like this, in a part of the world I really care about.
“The organisation has to operate commercially and profitably to fulfil its obligations as a Trust Port. It’s had a tremendous performance over the past few years, with an increase of 19 per cent in turnover in the last year alone with a profit of over £7 million, and I hope to be able to help build on this success.”
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Photocaption: Outgoing financial director Richard Pugh (left) and chief executive Alec Don (right) welcome Andy Jones to the Port.