Pictured from left are Eamonn Donaghy, Peter Drayne, Mark Sweeney, CEO Ronan Hamill and John-George Willis.
THE JANS Group has announced the appointment of three non-executive directors to its board as the company prepares for further significant growth.
With its headquarters located in Caulside Drive Antrim, the JANS Group operates a number of companies across Northern Ireland encompassing electric commercial vehicles, campervans, modular builds and composite manufacturing.
Its recent acquisition of a majority stake in BlueMAC, a world leader in the design, planning and manufacture of material processing systems and waste recycling facilities is part of its £50 million growth plan announced in 2021.
Joining the board as Chairman is Dr Mark Sweeney OBE. Appointed in April 2023, Dr Sweeney has a background in the industrial, commercial and manufacturing sectors within Northern Ireland and globally. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience, working in some of Northern Ireland’s largest companies, most recently as a Vice-President of Caterpillar with responsibility for its European and South American Operations.
Established in 2019, with just twenty-four employees, the JANS Group has grown to providing over 200 employees with stable employment and attractive career prospects in the sectors it operates.
The Group, which is currently positioning themselves for exponential growth, will see the new board members alongside others, responsible for the overseeing, constructively challenging and holding to account of the JANS management in their implementation of strategy within the Group’s system of corporate governance as well as facilitate strategic decision making.
The second, new board member is Eamonn Donaghy, an experienced tax consultant and business advisor and currently head of Tax at HNH Partners. For over a decade Mr Donaghy headed up the campaign for the devolution of corporation tax varying powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a means of stimulating the economy in Northern Ireland.
Lastly, in the trio of new appointments, John-George Willis also joins the board as a non-executive member. By background he is a corporate lawyer, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance and is a consultant at Tughans, in addition to being chairman of Pivotal since 2019.
Speaking about the recent appointments, Ronan Hamill, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JANS Group said:
“I extend a warm welcome to Dr Mark Sweeney, Eamonn Donaghy and John-George Willis as they join the JANS Group board. This is an exceptionally busy time for the JANS Group.
“With our continued plans for expansion, the impact of our new board members and the Chairman will help us drive strategic growth for the Group, by providing their knowledge and expertise to the senior management team. I have no doubt that together we will put County Antrim, and indeed Northern Ireland, on the map as a centre for world-class manufacturing, innovation and creativity.
“We have a number of strategic announcements to come within the next year and, as such, we will be keen to offer a range of jobs, skilled and non-skilled, to those living within the local community and beyond. The Group is excited at what the next one to five years has in store across all of the companies.”
The new non-executive directors of the JANS Group board will be responsible for providing independent judgement on issues such as the company’s strategy, performance and resources including key appointments and ensuring standards of conduct are adhered to. The board members will oversee the JANS Group which includes companies; ETRUX, JANS Composites, JANS Modular, JANS Lifestyle, Bespoke and BlueMAC.
Pictured from left are Eamonn Donaghy, Mark Sweeney and John-George Willis.
Dr Mark Sweeney
Dr Sweeney was President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce from 2006-2008. He was a Non-Executive Director of NITHC from 2016 until 2021 and Chair from 2020 to 2021. He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Invest NI from 2014 until June 2022. In 2007 he was awarded an OBE for services to business and in 2011, an Honorary D.Sc. Degree from Queen’s University. He is currently a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Eamonn Donaghy
A Fellow in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, Eamonn Donaghy has served as the Chairman of the Chartered Accountants in Ireland Tax committee and is a past chairman of the NI Branch of the Chartered Institute of Tax. Bringing an extensive range of board experience, he was Chairman of the Welcome Organisation, a homeless charity in Belfast and a former member of the Board of Governors of St Malachy’s college and Chair of the Finance Committee. He is the chairman of the St Gerard’s Parish finance committee and a member of St Vincent de Paul visiting those in need and visiting students at Hydebank Wood College.
John-George Willis
Mr Willis founded and ran the Corporate Department at Tughans, Belfast where he was also Senior Partner. He remains a consultant at Tughans and currently chairs two Irish/UK based groups of companies including Pivotal. Mr Willis is also a member of the Senior Advisory Board of Dublin-based Melior Equity Partners Fund.
JANS Group encompasses:
JANS Composites is a global industry leader in developing lightweight, durable, cost-effective GRP products for structurally demanding applications.
ETRUX is a specialist in the hire, lease, purchase and conversion of commercial vehicles.
JANS Lifestyle focuses on campervan rentals and sales.
Ballymena based Bespoke, Northern Ireland's only professional vehicle conversion company specialising in the conversion of VW Transporter Campervans.
JANS Modular which constructs modular buildings for the leisure and residential market.
BlueMAC is a world leader in the design, planning and manufacture of material processing systems and waste recycling facilities.