Aberdeen-based Plexus Holdings plc, the AIM quoted oil and gas engineering services business, announced a number of changes to its board of directors.

After more than 50 years in the industry and 19 years as CEO of the company that he founded, Ben van Bilderbeek has retired as CEO of Plexus and moved to the position of non-executive chair.

He replaces Jeff Thrall who has been chair since 2012 and will remain on the board as a non-executive director.

Craig Hendrie, who has been with Plexus for over 25 years, including 19 years as Technical Director, has been appointed as CEO of the company.

Further, after 19 years with the company, Graham Stevens has retired as finance director and stepped down from the board.

He is replaced on the board by Mike Park, who has been appointed as chief financial officer.

Park has been an employee of Plexus for 20 years and was previously a Director and Financial Controller of Plexus Ocean Systems Limited.

In a further addition to the board, Anastasio (Stas) van Bilderbeek has been appointed as an executive director and will be responsible for “engagement with existing and prospective shareholders as well as assisting with, and implementing, company strategy and business development.”

As part of this succession plan, and to ensure a seamless transition process, both Ben van Bilderbeek and Graham Stevens will stay on as full-time employees of the company for six months to assist the new board as required.

New CEO Hendrie said: “I am immensely proud and grateful for the opportunity to step up to become CEO of Plexusand congratulate my fellow board members, Mike Park and Stas van Bilderbeek, on their appointments.

“We look forward to updating the market with our goals and strategic plans in the coming months.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing board members and reflect on their contributions to the company over many years.

“Ben van Bilderbeek has had a remarkable career and his contribution as the founder of Plexus and inventor of our proprietary POS-GRIP method of engineering is immense.

“Ben has always been a passionate innovator at heart, and has introduced products such as the Adjustable Wellhead, and POS-GRIP ‘HG’ Seal technology to the industry, whilst making a priority of pursuing safer practices and leak-proof solutions.

“He has led the company through various challenges and opportunities such as industry downturns, Russian sanctions and the COVID pandemic, and has always remained confident in the company and its technology and continued to personally back it at every opportunity.

“Ben has always emphasised the importance of making oil and gas production greener and safer. He has been a long term advocate of leak-free, ESG and net zero-friendly practices even before they became mainstream. This approach has been at the heart of Plexus for 40 years.

“Graham Stevens was instrumental in preparing the company for AIM Admission back in 2005.  Since then, he has worked tirelessly to drive the business forward, manage regulatory and compliance matters, foster relationships with key stakeholders, and coordinate several key strategic transactions. His support has been instrumental to Ben and the team.

“We look forward to continued support from Ben from his role as chair, from Jeff who will continue as a non-executive director, and from Graham who will assist us over the next six months. On behalf of the board, I would like to wholeheartedly thank Ben, Jeff and Graham, and wish them well for the future.”