Petit Forestier announces new managing director

Barrie Javens has been appointed managing director of Petit Forestier UK. The refrigeration and cold chain solutions company operates in 20 countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the United States. Javens will head up UK operations for the firm as it continues its century long history. 

Javens said: “I am truly honoured and excited to take on the role of managing director for Petit Forestier United Kingdom. Petit Forestier is a renowned leader in the refrigerated asset rental sector, and I am committed to building on the strong foundation laid by my predecessor, Neale.”

Neale Brothwood is stepping down as managing director but will remain at Petit Forestier as a director. A statement from the company said: “The group has expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Neale Brothwood for the hard work and dedication demonstrated during his tenure. Neale will continue to play a crucial role in the UK management team, leveraging his extensive knowledge of the business, while supporting Barrie during the transition and beyond.” 

Prior to joining Petit Forestier, Javens held the position of chief commercial officer at the Bis Henderson Group. Here, his role focused on the supply chain consulting and warehousing division of the group, Visku. 

Javens will take this experience and several other roles working on supply chains into this new position at Petit Forestier. The company specialises in the industrial manufacturing of refrigerated bodies, offering rental agreements for refrigerated vehicles, refrigerated display cabinets and cold storage containers as well as selling and recycling refrigeration products and spare parts.  

Founded in 1907, the Petit Forestier Group has a wealth of experience in cold chain solutions. As the company looks toward the future the next challenge is to make these high energy consumption operations more sustainable and efficient. Hence, Petit Forestier is working with its bodybuilding partners Lecapitaine and Igloocar to create more sustainable products for transport and storage. 

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