De La Rue appoints Bryan Gray as COO

Banknote producer De La Rue has announced the appointment of Bryan Gray as chief operating officer.

Gray, who will join the company on 19 June to replace Rupert Middleton, was the group vice president for Europe at technology and multi-industrial group Johnson Controls International, responsible for 39 plants across Russia, EMEA and South Africa.

He has more than 20 years' international experience in manufacturing, with a focus on the automotive sector and held a number of senior management positons in South Africa, the UK and Europe during his career at JCI. Gray will be a member of the executive leadership team and report to chief executive officer Martin Sutherland. He will assume responsibility for the operations of all the company's manufacturing facilities and for driving efficiency across the group.

Sutherland said: "With strong international experience in manufacturing and developing global supply chains, he will strengthen and broaden the strategic and operational capabilities of the business and be a valuable addition to the leadership team. We look forward to working with him to deliver on our strategic plan."