Avon Protection appoints Jos Sclater as new CFO

Avon Protection said on Monday that it has appointed Jos Sclater as its new chief executive officer, with effect from 16 January.

Sclater joins Avon from defence and security firm Ultra Electronics, where he has been CFO for the last three years. In this role, Sclater led a broad-based transformation programme focused on improving growth and efficiency, Avon said.

He also had group-wide responsibility for the Finance, Treasury, IT, Procurement, Transformation, Continuous Improvement and Risk functions as well as direct oversight of Ultra's forensic technology and energy businesses.

Prior to this, Sclater was CFO at Castrol Lubricants and before that, spent seven years at GKN, including as group CFO and director of Corporate Finance & Strategy.

Avon said the appointment follows an in-depth search process led by executive chair Bruce Thompson, with the support of the Nominations Committee. Thompson will continue in the role of executive chair until Sclater starts in January, before reverting to his previous role as non-executive chair.

Thomson said: "I am delighted to welcome Jos to Avon Protection and the board looks forward to working with him. He brings a wealth of experience in leadership roles and an impressive track record of value creation within global manufacturing businesses.

"His expertise in a range of disciplines and deep experience in the international defence industry make him a standout choice to lead Avon Protection as chief executive officer."

Avon specialises in the manufacturing of respiratory protection equipment for military, law enforcement and fire personnel.