Clive Parkman leaves Airedale

UK: Clive Parkman, managing director of Leeds-based air conditioning manufacturer Airedale, has left the company.

An official statement released today confirms Clive Parkman’s departure and his replacement as UK md of the Airedale Group with operations director Tony Cole. The Airedale Group includes primary operations in Leeds and Consett, UK, and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Appointed in March 2008, Clive Parkman oversaw the company’s temporary relocation and rebuilding of its Rawdon factory following the devastating fire in 2013. Airedale finally moved back into its new 23,000m² factory in January, with Parkman welcoming Princess Anne to the official opening in May.

The Airedale managing director position has been taken by Tony Cole (52), who has been with Airedale for over 26 years. Cole joined the company in 1990 as a systems analyst, becoming manufacturing director in 1996 and operations director in 2011.

Matt McBurney, vice president of building HVAC at Airedale’s US parent company Modine, commented, “Tony has a wealth of experience and has been credited for shaping our manufacturing processes in the UK and South Africa. His passion for our principles and values, as well as familiarity with our culture, vision and strong leadership make him the ideal person to lead the overall strategic development of our business.”

He also paid tribute to Clive Parkman’s  contributions to the business: “In particular, he demonstrated tremendous leadership throughout the period following the devastating fire that destroyed Airedale’s Leeds operations. He has left us in a strong position and with a host of talented people with which to build the Airedale Group’s future,” he said.