David Downie to leave HSS at end of year

David Downie, chief operating officer of HSS, is to leave the company at the end of December and may seek a new executive role in the rental industry.

Mr Downie told IRN that it was the right time to "move onto a new challenge" having largely completed the project to implement a new logistics system at HSS. He will leave HSS at the end of December, with Chris Davies remaining as CEO and Lee Newman continuing as operations director.

Mr Downie will take some time out with his family before seeking a new executive role, with the rental industry in the UK or Ireland being one of the options that he will consider. He will also continue as a non-executive director at Cafe 2u, a mobile coffee franchise business in which he is an investor.

"I have had a great four years with HSS, we have grown market share every year, strengthened our team and the brand", said Mr Downie, "I feel proud of the achievements Chris, myself and the team have delivered.

"HSS is a great company and whilst I am sad to leave, now is the right time to move onto a new challenge."

Chris Davies, HSS CEO, said he understood Mr Downie's desire to "pursue other opportunities where he can deploy his leadership capabilities to advantage. This is an understandable decision and we can only thank David for his years of commitment, his dedication to the business and his considerable achievements on its behalf.

"David has been instrumental in building a strong operations team and developing our future leaders. He has led the development of our new operating model which sets a platform for our growth well into the future. We remain good friends and we all wish him the very best with his next opportunity."