Ransomes Jacobsen, the Ipswich-based turf maintenance equipment manufacturer, has expanded its management territory within the Jacobsen group with the inclusion of the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.  

To accommodate this expansion into APAC, David Withers, Managing Director of Ransomes Jacobsen has announced several management changes at senior level across the business.

Alan Prickett, the former Sales Director, has been appointed Managing Director, Asia Pacific, and will be relocating to Singapore in the near future to head up the company’s operations in the Far East. Over the past 30 years, Alan has gained extensive experience in both the retail and manufacturing sectors of the grounds care industry. He joined the Jacobsen division of Textron UK in early 1997 after a sales career with Ransomes distributors P.A.Turney Ltd and E.T Breakwell Ltd. Following the merger of Ransomes and Jacobsen in 1998, he was appointed UK Retail Branch Manager and was subsequently promoted to the role of UK Sales Manager and then Sales Director in late 2004.

Backfilling the role of Sales Director is Rupert Price, who is promoted to this significant sales position from his former role of UK and Ireland Sales Manager. In his new role he is responsible for all sales activity and business development in Europe and Africa. A Business and Technology graduate from Sheffield Hallam University, he joined the business in 1999 and has held positions of increasing responsibility over the past 11 years. 

Jason King has been promoted to Customer Care Director. He joined Ransomes in 1989 as a Technical Apprentice and has worked diligently and successfully through various positions within the company, including Product Support Technician, Service Parts Sales Manager, International Training Manager and latterly Customer Support and Training Manager.

Commenting on the appointments, David Withers said, “I’m absolutely delighted to announce these latest appointments, which refresh the senior leadership team here in Ipswich and provide the opportunity for dynamic and enthusiastic talent to blossom within the business. For example, Jason King joined Ransomes as a 16-year old apprentice, gaining excellent technical skills and a wide range of experience across all levels of the business. Now, 22-years on, and with a passion for customer service, he has amassed a wealth of knowledge, which has equipped him to undertake his new position.

“Similarly, Rupert Price, who joined us on our graduate intake programme back in the late 1990s, has shown great aptitude in many differing sales roles and last year was mainly responsible for our significant increase in market share as a result of the innovative new strategies he introduced in the UK.

“Alan Prickett will do a great job for us out in the APAC territory from his base in Singapore, where he will build on the successes of the team out there, as we aggressively pursue and exploit the burgeoning opportunities across that region.

“There is a real buzz of excitement across the business at present and everyone here is delighted in the confidence shown by Jacobsen and Textron. With new products coming on stream, market share increasing and a dynamic refreshed management team, I am confident that we can continue to deliver significant results to the business.”